


Warm Hearts, Cold Seasons

by lou1992



Category: Voltron - Fandom
Genre: Alaskan terms, All takes place in my home state, Fluff and Smut, Hunk is full native, Keith is a hotel housekeeper, Lance is half native, M/M, Masturbation, Mentioned deaths, Shooting Guns, Sledding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-08-03 15:27:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 88,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16328618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lou1992/pseuds/lou1992
Summary: Keith's a simple hotel housekeeper. Lance's a tattoo artist and YouTuber and Keith's roommate. Hunk's a chef with a dream of owning his own restaurant, Lance's boyfriend, and their roommate. Shiro's just smart in general and overall kind. Oh and Keith's fantastic boyfriend.A story of life, love, adulthood with nothing special in between other than friendship and relationships.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I give you another short story of Keith and Shiro. Hope you enjoy the first chapter and if you want more, please drop a Kudo and a comment.

He couldn’t help but gag at the smell that wafted out of the room as soon as he opened the door, glad that the people who had been staying in this room were kicked out last night for disturbing the other guests with their drunkenness… well, one person had gotten drunk. So drunk that he defecated all over the bed and on the floor between the two beds before passing out and having a heart attack. It was a father and son who were working for the same company and the father was the one who had to be taken to the hospital. And now he was stuck with cleaning it since the other housekeepers very loudly protested against doing it.

Imagine the look on his face when he was told that he was going to clean it alone. The anger that swelled inside him at the girls abandoning him for doing something they pretty much do every day. It didn’t matter how apologetic the manager was or how kind she was, it still angered him and he let the girls know how disappointed he was with them as he walked down the hall of the first floor. He didn’t have to walk far, only a few doors down.

As soon as he saw the damage, he understood their reluctance. They were just newbies after all and hadn’t seen the worst of hotel business yet. He actually worked here longer than anyone else besides two of the people who worked front desk. His manager being one of them.

With a sigh, he grabbed a face mask that he scented with lemon and a pair of latex gloves. He placed the bedding in garbage bags to separate them from the rest and would have thrown them away if they weren’t already low on bedding. Wouldn’t be a shame really, it didn’t match the carpet or the curtains. He grabbed the heavy duty shampoo vac and went to down on the mattress and floor, finding some underneath the bed as well.

It took him over an hour to clean the whole room before he was finally satisfied with it, that it didn’t smell like shit. He would check it again before he left just in case. He added on an extra hour to his work day because of that room and because the other workers left it to him even after he cleaned up all the shit. They just did their work and left. He wanted nothing more than to head home himself, but he had to check the checkouts to make sure they were cleaned properly. Came with the territory of being head house keeper.

Once done, he made his way tiredly to the front desk, smiling when he saw his friend Pidge working the evening shift today. “Hey,” he mumbled tiredly as he wrote down his time on his time slip.

“Hey, you look like shit,” she replied, a smirk on her face. He grimaced. “Heard what happened before boss lady left. She felt really bad and left this here.” She sat a small container with a decorated chocolate cupcake inside it, but didn’t push it towards him. Instead she had this expectant look on her face as she waited for him.

He made a face of disgust at the sweet treat and shook his head. “Worked for her for three years now and she still doesn’t get that I hate store bought cupcakes.” As much as he loved anything chocolate, he could not stand store bought chocolate cupcakes. It just didn’t taste right and it sat on his tongue for hours. Plus, it didn’t help he couldn’t eat wheat.

The small high school girl licked her lips as she swooped in and devoured the baked good. “So, onto better things,” she started with her mouth full, “when’s Shiro supposed to be back? I miss those bara pecs of his.”

He rolled his eyes at that, but smiled fondly at his friend. “In a few days. He says he has good news for me when he gets back.”

“Hopefully it’s along the lines of hey, I don’t have to go away for six weeks at a time. Keith, seriously, that’s a long time to be away.”

Keith shrugged, but looked hopeful. It wasn’t like the guy was in the military or anything. He and Shiro had been dating for eight months now, but Keith hardly got to see him because the man was on a six weeks on, one week off schedule and had been on that before he even met Keith. Or even before he decided to move up her for that matter. Shiro was a single guy then with nothing better to do and was very smart with engineering. But now he had Keith and there were plenty of things they wanted to do but never had the time to do it.

“I hope so. Or I just might get a house keeping job there and have long shifts like him,” he joked, though knew deep down he might actually do it. Probably get paid better too.

Pidge gave an exaggerated gasp. “You wouldn’t. And leave my ass behind? How could you?” Before she could say more, a potential costumer walked in and Pidge put on her professional face, smiling at the man.

Keith didn’t bother with a goodbye as her attention was now completely on the guest and exited the building, glad to finally breathe fresh air. It was still hot as fuck for being seventy degrees. Sun out, no wind. It was going to be another sweaty, sleepless night with a loud fan blowing in his face. He thought of just setting up a tent outside the duplex to let the night chill cool him down, but their neighbor was a little creepy and nosey. He probably would have stalked around the tent throughout the night.

As soon as he was in his clunky, diesel truck (god he hated his trunk) that he inherited from his father, he turned the AC on full blast and rolled the window down. He didn’t bother with the stereo, knowing it would only pick up talk show stations (he hated those too) and drove off to go home. He needed to pick up a new aux cord soon so he could listen to his music again. This is why he didn’t allow puppies or any dogs in his vehicle. That was the last time he watched someone else’s dog.

The drive to the duplex was short and his roommate’s car was parked as far to the side as it could go to allow Keith’s big ass truck to park without taking up space of their shared driveway with the neighbor. Lance was home, meaning the appointment in Clam Gulch had been short. Meaning he was most likely in front of the TV playing video games for his YouTube channel. Meaning the living room was going to be a mess with junk food littering the coffee table and possibly juice and water (hopefully) stains on the floor.

He wasn’t surprised when he walked in and saw that he was right about his roommate playing video games. He was surprised when he saw the lack of food and stains around the table, a water bottle with a built in straw on the couch beside his roommate. Hunk, his other roommate, must be home. The young man on the couch didn’t bother looking towards his direction, but did acknowledge him by saying hey. 

“Dude! Come sit down and watch me play, it’s been awhile since we last did this and my awesome fans miss our lovely commentary,” he said, as he patted the cushion beside him.

Keith stared at the tanned skin, brown haired roommate tiredly, debating if he really wanted too. It has been awhile and he did enjoy watching him play, but he felt disgusting and he was hungry. Plus he was tired. It was only five PM, but he felt like he would pass out as soon as he sat down.

“Maybe later,” Keith mumbled. “I'm going to take a shower and get something to eat. Maybe I’ll watch you play afterwards if I don’t pass out first.”

Lance lifted an eyebrow, not liking his answer. “Dude, you do house keeping. How is that tiring?”

Anger filled Keith now and he clenched his fists to not lash out. The subject always seemed to bring about an argument because his stupid roommate and childhood friend couldn’t get it into his thick skull how physically and mentally draining cleaning rooms for almost eight hours, five days a week really is. Course, he didn’t always get a full eight hours every day, depending how many guests they have, but it was still tiring.

“Get a job there and maybe you’ll see,” Keith snapped back and walked down the small hallway to his room before Lance could reply to grab some sweats before heading into the bathroom. 

He sat underneath the spray, letting the hot water work his sore muscles before he cleaned up. He slipped on the sweats and a hoodie, walking back out to the living room to see Lance brooding and mumbling angrily into the mic attached to his headphones. Keith rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat, not wanting to deal with that right now. He was startled, though, by Hunk standing in front of the fridge, pulling things from the ice box to most likely start on dinner. He must not have been home very long or just woke from a nap.

“Oh, hey, Keith,” the large native said with a smile when Keith’s small jump made him notice the pale skinned man.

Keith smiled in return and passed by him to reach for the fridge. “How long have you been back?”

“Just a couple of hours. Went straight to bed after Lance picked me up. Speaking of, what’s up with him? He seemed upset.” 

Keith rolled his eyes again as he grabbed an apple to satisfy his hunger for the time being. “Just being his usual stupid self and not listening when my job comes up.” He tried not to snap at Hunk, the large man not deserving of it, and leaned back against the counter as he tore a large chunk from his apple.

Hunk let out a sigh of understanding. “Ah, so I won’t be spoiling him tonight then.”

“Do I need to sleep in the living tonight?” Keith teased with a smirk, bringing a blush to Hunk’s cheeks and making him almost drop the cutting board. Whenever the two natives had a night of passion, Keith would often sleep in the living room since the noise couldn’t reach him there. Unless they were being particularly loud.

“What? No! I-“

Keith laughed and patted the big man’s shoulder. “I’m just messing with you.”

“I knew that,” the native said with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head.

“Honestly, how does someone like Lance end with such an awesome guy like you?”

“Same reason you stayed his friend for so long.”

Keith glared lightly at Hunk, knowing the big man was right. And by the smirk on his face, Hunk knew it too. “I hate it when you’re always right.” For being big, not fat wise (though he does have a bigger stomach than most thanks to his weight lifting days that he kept up with), he sure was smart, kind, wise, and voice of reason more often than not.

Keith left the other to his veggies and sat down beside Lance, the lanky native completely ignoring him as he talked or reacted to the game. What many didn’t know, he and Lance weren’t always friends. Yeah they grew up together and were very close when they were kids, just blocks away from each other so they were always at each other’s homes. Keith liked going over to Lance’s house the most back then because of all the siblings he had. And one or the other parent was always home while Keith’s mother was always gone, working. His father dead since he was five.

Lance’s parents had unofficially become Keith’s babysitter, even his homeschool teachers when his mother decided to follow in Lance’s mother’s footsteps and homeschool him. But she wasn’t always there to watch him so Lance’s mother decided to do that for her and damn, was she a hard ass when it came to schooling. Lance hated it because he was a social butterfly while Keith enjoyed it because he was an introvert.

Then came high school and Lance was allowed to go to public school. He changed and not for the best, pushing Keith away as he tried to look cool for the jocks. Keith did end up going to the same public school during his last two years of schooling, but only for two classes so he could join the male volleyball team, and he hated it. He was picked on for wanting to be alone and called emo, freak, and other sorts of names. And Lance was right there joining them. He found himself going to anger management classes those last few years.

But during his last year of school, his mother died. He knew it was coming too, for how many times she’s been to the hospital for pneumonia and staff infections before her lungs finally gave out. He took off of school for a week to be with her at the hospital before the plug was finally pulled. He ended up staying with a family friend, Mr. Iverson, instead of Lance’s family because Keith’s mother knew the trouble he was having with the native boy. 

He hated and loved staying with Mr. Iverson. Hated because the man was very militant and strict, having a hard time trusting Keith most times. Loved because the man taught him how to drive and fix a vehicle, how to hunt, and how to love the outdoors. The man taught him many things, even how to talk back to a bully. Say nice things, they won’t know how to reply to that. It worked for a while, it wasn’t like people wanted to pick on the orphan anymore since some of them were orphans themselves and/or in foster care.

Then Lance left for college and Keith stayed, getting a job at small family friendly pool hall. He only worked there for maybe three months before he was fired because the owner’s wife was crazy and thought he was trying to flirt with a man she liked. Of course he didn’t put two and two together until a week afterwards when he remembered how differently the wife acted towards him after he talked for a while to one of the patrons one night. Crazy, cheating bitch.

Then he started working janitorial at a gym, but quit after a year because the paychecks weren’t worth the drive. That was when he got a job in housekeeping at a hotel that used to be called King Salmon Inn before being bought by Quality Inn. He’s worked there for over three years before given the title of head housekeeper last year, his hourly payment going up a bit. He’s met some of the worst and best people there and worked with the same, firing many.

Anyways, Lance only did two years of college before dropping out and learned how to handle a tattoo gun from an old time friend who own their own parlor. He was good at it too and Keith remembered that Lance had been an excellent artist growing up and would have taken classes for it during highschool if it wasn’t for those jocks. The native had been back for a year before they ran into each other at a grocery store. 

It was awkward at first, Lance very apologetic and Keith still pretty angry, but after talking for an hour in the deli, things smoothed out and their friendship gradually rekindled. Then after a few months, they moved in together in the upstairs of the duplex which wasn’t as nice as the downstairs part, but more affordable. Then Hunk moved in downstairs and Lance fell hard for him, often ditching Keith to hang out with the big man. But Keith understood and tried not to feel jealous or left out. Eventually, the two started dating and Hunk invited them to move in with him.

It wasn’t like Hunk needed help paying rent since he had a one week on, one week off job working as a cook on the slope that paid well. But he was trying to save money to open his own restaurant and he was almost there. Of course, during the first few months living together, Keith found himself on the couch more often than not when Hunk was home or even out for an hour or two when they didn’t even try to hold back their voices.

“Can you chew any louder?” Lance asked angrily, sounding annoyed as Keith crunched on his apple.

Being the little shit that he is when it came to Lance, Keith leaned over and bit into his apple loudly right into the mic. He pulled back with a smirk while Lance growled in annoyance.

“What the hell man?!”

“Consider that revenge for being an asshole,” Keith replied with his mouth still full.

Lance made a sound of irritation, but said nothing else and continued to play for a while before finally saying, “Pidge texted me and told me what happened. Sounded very disgusting.”

“Well I work at a hotel, what else do you expect? People don’t seem to comprehend that cleaning other people’s bodily fluids and shit is disgusting to hotel workers.” Keith sat the apple core on the coffee table and curled up on his side as he watched the TV. “Yes, it’s our job to clean up after them, but we would appreciate it if you didn’t leave such a large mess behind. And maybe leave better tips than a handful of coins.”

Lance rolled his eyes, having heard this so many times. “Why don’t you get a different job? Like Home Depot, or Napa, or even Sportsman’s Warehouse? I think you would do great with those jobs.”

“Because then I would have to start over money wise and I would have to deal with people all the time. With housekeeping, all I have to say is housekeeping and would you like your room cleaned. I don’t have to deal with people as often as I would in a store and I like cleaning.”

Lance shrugged as he finished off a mission before turning off the Play Station and TV, sitting back against the armrest of the couch so he could face Keith. Whatever anger he had was gone. “But you always seem so tired and pissed off when you come home.”

“Its going to be the same wherever I go, but at least I get to work on my own at the hotel and listen to whatever music I want while doing check outs. And when a costumer gets angry, they go to the front desk to complain, which Allura and Pidge are pretty good at handling.” Keith turned onto his back and pressed himself back against the armrest as well to face Lance. “If I could, I would just live out in the wilderness and trap for a living. Hunt for my own food all the time… if I wasn’t so afraid to live alone.”

“My parents used to do that before having kids,” Lance said, something Keith already knew.

“Too bad you’re not as hardcore like them or your sisters.” Keith snickered while the native made a sound of protest.

Lance’s father was a trapper and lived out in the woods all his life, only going into a nearby village to sell off the furs. A village where Lance’s mother resided in. His father was full on white while his mother was full on Eskimo, the mixture giving Lance his tanned skin from his mother and the brown hair and blue eyes from his father. The parents moved to Kenai after their second daughter was born before Lance, giving the eldest sister a taste of the freedom of the wilderness before they moved into society.

While Keith grew up in Kenai all his life, he wasn’t a native, though he was often mistaken for one. He was half Korean, on his mother’s side and half American on his father’s side. His mother had moved to Alaska to get away from a bad family situation and met his father when she got a job at a bar. They were quick in falling in love and married in months before she could be forced back to Korea.

“Dinner’s ready!” Hunk called from the kitchen, walking out with a pot of something that smelled amazing and interrupting the two friends.

Lance and Keith immediately got up and made their way to the dinning room.

…

Keith wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked down the stairs, needing to go to the laundry room to refill the dumbwaiter. As he walked downstairs, he could hear an angry guest talking loudly at the front desk and when Keith didn’t hear Allura’s voice, he hurried down the steps to see Allura wasn’t there, but their newest teenage recruit. The poor girl looked like she was about to have a melt down as the man nailed into her.

“Is there a problem?” Keith asked as he stood beside the man, waiting for him to turn his attention and insults onto him.

“Yeah there is. This idiot here gave me a dirty room!” the man replied, red in the face and a scowl forming deep lines on his forehead.

Keith felt himself fuming at the man, but kept up a polite smile as he made his way behind the counter to see what the girl did wrong. “I’m sure it was an accident, it’s her first day here.” He checked the computer and saw that she indeed accidentally gave him a dirty room. She must have forgotten the color coded system.

“I don’t care that it’s her first day. She must not be very smart if she can’t get this right. She’s not going to amount to much, especially with a job like this,” the man mumbled as Keith tried to explain to the girl on how to tell which rooms were clean and which ones were dirty.

The half Korean clenched his jaw to keep himself from saying something he’ll regret and probably get fired, keeping his eyes on the screen while trying to calm down. When he was relaxed enough, he put on his best polite smile and looked up.

“What do you do for living sir?” he asked, sounding kind.

The man was a bit taken back, but replied, “I stock food at a grocery store.”

“Didn’t you make mistakes during your first day?”

“Well, yeah.”

“And how important is your job?”

“If I didn’t stock food, the shelves would be empty.”

“And if she wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be getting checked in to a room.” Keith dropped the polite act and stared the man down, obviously making him uncomfortable. “It’s a bit hypercritical of you to say she can’t mess up on her first day while using a system she’s never used before while you yourself messed up on your first day. Now, if you’re done trying to cause a scene or whatever it is you were trying to do, would you like to check into another room?”

“Yes… please.” The guest added on the please as an afterthought, embarrassed enough as it is at being called out on his bullshit.

Keith showed the girl what to do and gave the man a new card key to his new room, grateful the man didn’t try anything else. “Here you go sir. I hope we don’t have any more trouble while you’re here. Enjoy your stay.”

The man grabbed the key and quickly left down the hallway to his room.

“Thank you so much,” the girl started, but Keith cut her off.

“Where’s Allura?”

The girl was a bit startled by the sudden question. “Oh, uh, getting coffee.”

He let out a huff of annoyance and brought a hand to his face. “And left you alone?”

“I told her to go since it’s been slow and I thought I was getting the hang of it.” She curled in on herself as Keith became more agitated.

“She could have gotten a quick cup here.”

She shrugged. “She wanted a bean freeze and offered to buy me something too. She just went to the coffee drive through right outside.”

“It doesn’t matter. She left you alone during the busiest time of the year and whatever slow time there is, it’s not going to last long before people start swarming in and out.” 

As soon as he said that, a group of people entered the hotel and Keith knew just by looking at them that they were here for the dip netting season. Which meant sand everywhere and the lingering smell of fish. A couple wanted to check out at the same time and kindly, the large group allowed the couple to go first. Keith stayed to make sure the girl did everything right before going down into the basement where the laundry room was and filled the lift. He went back upstairs to the second floor and opened a door to pull on a rope to lift the dumbwaiter up. 

It was filled to the brim, so it was heavy and a bit of a workout to pull up. If only the owners of the building would invest in an electronic pull system, this would go a lot faster and he wouldn’t have wasted so much energy. At least he shouldn’t have to go downstairs again. While there were hardly any checkouts today, there were a lot of stays so he shouldn’t need to change many beds today unless asked.

He and one other person were doing the second floor while three were taking on the first since there were more checkouts, but he only ran into her a couple times while grabbing a few things from the cleaning cart, each having their own set of rooms to clean; putting their initials by each room they cleaned. Only once did they clean together because it wasn’t allowed for them to clean a stay if the guest was in the room. Safety reasons and all that.

Keith had finished all his checkouts and was on his last stay when he gets a call from Shiro, asking him if he could pick him up at the airport in thirty minutes. Keith’s heart flutters in his chest as happiness fills him, a large smile spreading across his face. Shiro was home, a day early it seemed. He was quick to finish the stay and carefully checked the checkouts that the other housekeepers had cleaned before clocking out, giving Allura a look that made her blush in shame and walked out without saying anything to her. The airport was close by and it only took a few minutes to get there, just in time for Shiro’s plane to land.

His hands shook with excitement and nervousness, having not seen the man in six weeks, and he clasped his hands together over his chest when he saw Shiro exiting the plane. His hair had grown out some and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in several days, but the smile he gave Keith was still as bright as ever. The two hugged tightly before the Korean kissed the other man’s cheeks as Shiro sniffed him.

“You smell of chemicals and sweat and still in your uniform. Did you leave work to come pick me up?” Shiro asked with a frown.

“Hello to you too and yes I left work, but only because I was done.” Keith fucking giggled and grasped the other’s hand with his as they waited by the short conveyer belt for Shiro’s bag.

The taller man gave a small laugh. “Sorry, hey. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Keith smiled widely as he leaned against Shiro, ignoring the looks given their way. While same sex relationships were accepted in Alaska, it wasn’t as popular here as it is in Anchorage or Fairbanks. “How was Deadhorse?”

“Boring, but at least it wasn’t this hot.” Shiro pulled off his light jacket, showing he was wearing a tank underneath.

Keith’s eyes zeroed in on those muscular arms and flushed. “Y-yeah, the sun’s been out for almost a month now with only a day of light rain.” The conveyer belt let out an alarm that it was about to start, scaring him and making him jump.

Shiro chuckled and grabbed his bag when it passed by. “Going to be another hot summer.”

“Yup, hopefully not another warm winter. You hungry?”

“Starving.” 

They ended up going to OO Burgers that the small airport had and order a couple of burgers, no buns with Keith’s, with milkshakes. They talked for a bit, catching up on what had happened the past couple of days when they last talked before Shiro suddenly straightened in his seat, becoming very excited.

“Oh, so the good news I mentioned a few days ago; the company bought a warehouse out in Soldotna and I’ll be working from there for now on.”

“Really?!” Keith felt so incredibly happy at this moment and excited, smiling widely at his boyfriend.

“Yup. So now I need to find somewhere to live so I don’t take up space at your place or waste a bunch of money at the hotel.” Shiro smiled widely as he unzipped the side pocket of his bag and pulled out several pieces of paper with pictures of houses. “I’ve already started and these are the ones I like the most that are in my price range and just out of the city limits.”

Keith chuckled. “Take your time. We don’t mind you staying.” He took the papers and frowned at some of the them. “These are great looking homes, but we need to see where they’re at on the map to make sure they’re not in bad neighborhoods.”

“That is why I’m asking you for help since you know this place.”

Keith smiled as he stacked the papers back in order and handed them back to Shiro. It would be nice for the older man to have a place to call his own rather than taking up space at the duplex or wasting money on a room in a hotel for a week, which was something Shiro had been doing the last two years after his breakup with his ex, Adam. When Shiro decided to take the job on the slope and found out how long he would be gone, Adam didn’t like it and gave him an ultimatum. You can already guess what Shiro chose.

Since he was single, he didn’t mind working six weeks on, one week off, but he had nowhere to go and decided to go on vacations during his week off. Picking random places to stay each time before he ended up at Keith’s hotel. After that, Shiro started coming back after his six week stints and badgered the half Korean until they eventually became friends then boyfriend’s. It was hard only seeing him one week every month and a half, but they got through it and didn’t give up when times got hard. Now, they no longer had to worry about that.

They left to go back to the duplex and saw that Lance wasn’t home. Hunk was and gave Shiro a big hug, congratulating him when Shiro told him the news. The large native ended up making a big celebratory dinner that didn’t have wheat in it for Keith’s sake and the half Korean couldn’t be happier.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oof,” Keith mumbled as he looked over the cleaning list for tomorrow while pulling his sweat damp hair free from its’ ponytail. Over twenty-six checkouts with no stays with possible walk-ins today, making more checkouts to clean tomorrow. Dammit. Every room had to be cleaned and empty because a large orchestra group was in town to perform and would take up all fifty-one rooms for the night.

“I know tomorrow is your day off, but we could really use your help,” Allura said with an apologetic smile. “You’re the most experienced and the girls will most likely try to get through the rooms too quickly and most likely miss something which is something we can’t do. Aaand, you fired Catherine last week so we’re down to five housekeepers.”

Keith lifted an eyebrow at the tall woman who was leaning over the counter, wondering how it went from buttering him up to guilt tripping him into working. He didn’t need to hear all that or asked to work tomorrow, he was going to anyways as soon as he saw the list. And the checkouts will most likely change to a larger number since it was still summer and at the end of July, dip netting not ending for another few days. He was hoping to get some dipping in himself this weekend. Probably won’t happen.

“You didn’t have to say all that, I was going to come in anyways as soon as you showed me the list. The girls can’t do all this on their own,” Keith said as he set the paper down. 

“Ill help out too when I can. I’ll even buy lunch tomorrow.” She took it and threw it in the small trash bin underneath the desk. “The day after that is busy too, but you can take your day off and I’ll have the girls clean as many rooms as they can in eight hours. Maybe have one of the laundry ladies clean some too, whoever comes later.”

It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened and often times Allura and the laundry person were roped in to help during the summer hours to try to keep up. While their hotel was smaller than the others around town and not very color matched, they were still quite popular with businesses, sports people, and of course regulars. Probably because of their cheaper prices.

“Well, I’ll come in early to make sure everything is stocked and start when people begin to leave. Hopefully they don’t wait until the eleven-o clock checkout time; I don’t want to stay late in the evening.” He clocked out and waited for the girls to finish their last rooms to tell them the news.

“Got some special plans tomorrow with that handsome man of yours?” Allura asked with a teasing smile.

Keith ignored it. “Nope, just don’t want my whole day filled with cleaning. Hunk’s at work so that means a dirty home thanks to Lance. And he’s terrible at cleaning.”

The dark skinned rolled her eyes in understanding, having met the man several times and heard so much about him from Keith. She let her thick, white hair loose from its’ bun, meaning it was close to the end of her shift. “How’s it with the house hunting?”

“We narrowed it down to three, going to set up an appointment when he has time.” He moved out of the way as one by one, the girls showed up to clock out. He stopped them before they left to tell them the news of tomorrow.

You could imagine their reactions.  
…

His stomach growled as he slipped the fitted sheet on the queen bed, in his tenth room of making beds. Lunch had come and gone and Keith was glad he had thought to bring his own food. Allura had bought lunch like she promised, but all of it had wheat in it and he didn’t want his eczema flaring up, making him itch all over. But what he brought wasn’t enough and he was becoming very hungry. He bought a bag of chips from the snack machine, but it still wasn’t enough and he didn’t want to keep stopping to get something from the machine that would most likely make him sick.

Keith flattened the pillow and straightened it, sitting it up and sideways so the pillows faced the door. He and two others agreed that they would do the second floor and he would do the beds since he was the best at them while the other two would do everything else. If Keith finished the beds before they were done, he would help finish what was left. The other two girls were downstairs doing the same with Allura helping them out when she could; dusting, taking out trash, vacuuming, and taking the laundry down. 

They were more than halfway through the second floor, one more room left to make beds then he’ll pick up the slack and finish what the girls hadn’t gotten to yet. Only one bed was used so it wasn’t long before he was finished and walking down the hall where the girls were and picked up cleaning bathrooms. Allura came up a couple of times to take their full laundry bag down and replace it with an empty one, also bringing up more cleaning rags when needed.  
It was getting close to four when Keith found himself downstairs and finishing what wasn’t done yet. His uniform scrub shirt was damp with sweat and it felt like he couldn’t knock those water bottles back fast enough. The water helped him feel like he was full throughout the day, but he was becoming weak from the lack of proper food intake. Fortunately, there were only a few rooms left, probably an hour worth’s of work before he could finally go home. 

All the rooms upstairs were checked before he went downstairs and checked all the rooms the girls had finished downstairs. One of the housekeepers cleaning the first floor had done all the beds already, so Keith began dusting and vacuuming after the bathrooms had been done that Allura had yet to do. 

Keith was right about the extra time and finished just as the clock hit five. He was impressed on how fast they had worked and how great they had done. Everyone clocked out, tired, hungry, and aching all over. They were going to have to do this again tomorrow and Keith couldn’t let them do this by themselves. Keith waited until all the girls had gone before he spoke to Allura just as she was about to head out the door.

“I’m going to come back tomorrow and take Monday and Tuesday off instead,” the Korean said and the tall, dark skinned woman smiled brightly.

“Really?! Oh thank you, Keith! You’re such a life saver.” She grabbed his arm gently as she said this, bright blue eyes showing her gratitude. “I’m definitely buying you a red bull special tomorrow morning?”

Keith grimaced at the thought of the disgusting energy drink blended with raspberry syrup and ice. “Uh, no thanks. A coffee or even a smoothie is just fine.”

“Really? All the other girls like them though,” Allura said in confusion, her English accent bleeding through. She then gave a small humorless chuckle as she grabbed her left arm, looking down to the floor. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed anything. We’ve worked together for three years now and I’m just now noticing I barely know anything about you.”

He was a bit taken back by the attitude change, but took it in stride. “Its ok, it’s not like I spew my whole life story at every chance I get and we don’t talk much to each other anyways,” Keith replied with a small smile. “And I think that’s my fault because I don’t let too many get close. But I think I could make an exception for you.”

Allura clasped her hands together over her chest and smiled widely, face flushed. “Really?! How wonderful! Thank you!” She hugs Keith tightly for a quick second before letting go and offering a farewell to him and Pidge, who Keith didn’t know had been there the whole time.

“Wow, you allowed her to hug you,” Pidge teased as she adjusted her round, metal rimmed glasses. “You who is only touchy feely with three people, one of whom is your boyfriend.” She suddenly gives a fake sniff. “You don’t even allow me to hug you without permission.”

“Which you don’t follow, so stop complaining.” Keith pats his pants’ pockets to make sure he had his phone, keys, and wallet before pulling off his scrub’s shirt. He then noticed an opened letter with some prestigious school name on top, making him lift an eyebrow. “Still trying to win you over?”

The small girl frowned in confusion before followed his line of vision and groaned, slumping in her computer chair. “Yes.”

“Why not just go? They’re giving you a scholarship so you get to go to college for free and you’ll be free from this place. It’s people flooded roads during the summer and negative degree weather during the winter; isn’t that what you wanted?” He leaned over the side of the front desk that sat just below his waist, watching Pidge purse her lips and look away. 

“My life is here. Yeah I complain a lot about living here, but to actually leave? It’s scary. I mean you’re here, Matt’s here, my parents. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” She twiddled her thumbs, watching them.

Keith eyed her and saw how scared she really was at the thought of leaving. Even though she would be gone three to four years, it’ll still be a big change in her life and she was a creature of habit. But it would be good for her and if she didn’t like it, she could always come home. Her parents had the money and the love for their tomboy little girl to fly her home when she wanted.

“I get it, it is scary,” Keith agreed, making her look up from her hands. “But I think it’ll be good for you. You have so much talent with computers and the like, I don’t want to see that go to waste. Get out of here and make a name for yourself. We’ll always be here for you and we’ll cheer you on. Your family I’m sure will be behind you all the way too. Just… don’t hold yourself back because of me.”

Pidge bit her lip as she appeared deep in thought, messing with her name tag that said Katie across it. “You are full of wise words today,” she mumbled. “People always say to push yourself and make your dreams come true, but it’s hard.”

“Yes it is. But sometimes, to get anywhere in life, you’ve got to go through hard times and out of your comfort zones.”

Pidge leaned back in her chair and eyed Keith, contemplating. “Why didn’t you ever go to college?”

Keith shrugged. “Because I hate school with my whole being. When I finished high school I was done. I didn’t have a talent in anything and there was no way I was going to college to do something I hate. Like fucking business or whatever.” He smiled apologetically to a passing woman and her small child. 

“I can’t really see you going to college anyways. You’d freak out the first day.” The small girl grinned teasingly.

“Probably… Look, maybe try going to the community college here and see how it feels. But don’t take too long to decide, that scholarship offer won’t be on the table forever.”

Pidge sighed as her shoulders sagged. “Dammit, why did you have to suddenly become all wise and knowing? I don’t like adult Keith.”

The Korean chuckled as he stood back up properly. “I’ve been an adult for eight years now.”

“Physically, maybe. But certainly not mentally,” she said with a smirk and a raised brow, making Keith scowl playfully at her. “I think it’s that hot piece of ass you have. Shiro’s certainly made an impression on everyone, especially you.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but agree. Shiro had been a good influence on him since he’s met the man, wanting to be better for him. It wasn’t like Keith hadn’t been working on his patience and anger since he started working at the hotel, but something about Shiro just made him keep calm and bring out the best in him. He also tended to make Keith laugh, especially when the half Korean said something only Alaskans understood and the older man would give Keith a look of pure confusion. It was actually how they met.

It was fall and getting cold so Keith started wearing a hoodie that had AK-49 printed on the front. He had put it on after finishing work and was just clocking out when a voice behind him said,

“I didn’t know there was an AK-49 riffle.”

Keith had looked over his shoulder in confusion and saw the most handsome man he had ever seen. Black hair done military style with white forelocks hanging over his forehead, pale skin, dark gray eyes, and a body that wouldn’t quit. Shiro stared at the word on Keith’s hoodie before the Korean understood the man wasn’t from around here and filled him in on what it meant.

“Oh no, it’s not a riffle. AK stands for Alaska and we’re the 49th state, hence the 49,” Keith explained.

The look of embarrassment on Shiro’s face was hilarious and since then, Keith has been slowly keeping Shiro informed on Alaska meanings.

“He's a pretty good guy,” the half Korean said with a small smile, bringing a small grin to Pidge’s face. “How did I get so lucky?”

Pidge shrugged. “Beats me. He’s way too good for you.”

Keith scoffed. “Whatever. See you later.”  
“Bye donut puncher.”

Keith gave her a small questioning look as he laughed, wondering how she came up with that one. He gave a two fingered salute and left, wanting to go home and eat and sleep.

…

The next day, Keith stayed an extra two hours to finish a few more rooms before finally leaving. Allura had helped again too, working on her days off just like Keith. She stuck to Keith, wanting to chat while clean and get to know him better. They learned they both lost their mothers at a young age and that she and her husband were trying to have a baby. This made Keith raise an eyebrow because Lotor didn’t seem like the fatherly type.

Sure, the man absolutely adored Allura and did whatever she wanted, but he was kind of a dick too. Not so much to Keith, but to everyone else he was. Keith knew it was just a mask to protect himself, but sometimes he went a little over the top and made someone cry once. Allura was mad at him for days. It took a lot of groveling before she allowed him back in their bed.

Back at the duplex, dinner was made and Shiro had stopped by to hang out for a bit before heading home. Keith took a very long shower after his boyfriend left before falling asleep on the couch watching Lance play, a fan blowing cool air in his face throughout the night. Keith was actually surprised he hadn’t woken up once during the night because the feeling of air blown against his face and the sun the fan makes annoyed him and keeps him up. Guess he was more exhausted than he thought.

…

The next morning, he woke up to the sound of his phone going off a few minutes after ten. He was surprised at seeing Iverson’s name across the screen and quickly answered it with a yawn.

“Did I wake you up, boy? It’s ten AM, shouldn’t you be at work?” the man asked stiffly.

Keith sat up and rubbed his eyes with his free hand before resting it across his lap. “I worked on my days off so they got changed to today and tomorrow. What do you need?”

Iverson wasn’t big on calling for anything unless he needed something and it was usually something Keith didn’t like. “I don’t need anything right now, son. I called to see if you wanted to go dip netting with me and the guys. Now seeing how you don’t have work today, we can get an early start.”

Keith huffed with a small tired smile, glad he thought to renew his fishing license and buy a dip netting license. “Let my grab my stuff and I’ll meet you over by the Russian Orthodox Church.”

“Good! You’ll do all the heavy lifting for us old men.”

He was joking, Keith was sure since Iverson was very prideful, and it made the Korean chuckle.

“Ok old man, I’ll see you in an hour.” He hung up to the sound of Iverson sputtering and turned his body so his feet hung over the side of the couch. He sat their a moment, rubbing his eyes again before standing up to make himself a cup of coffee and something to eat before he got dressed in something cool.

The sun was out, but their was a breeze and Keith decided to bring a sweater just in case. It does tend to get cooler out in the water. He dug through his closet for his chest waders and packed up a lunch and some water bottles for later. He made sure he had all the paperwork he needed before leaving for the beach. He turned down a road to Old Town Kenai and followed it until he reached the old Russian Orthodox Church and parked in it’s small parking lot.

Iverson and his friends were already there and putting everything they needed in a large wagon. Keith added his own stuff and shook Iverson’s hand in greeting, letting himself be hugged by Thace and nodded his head towards Ulaz. It’s been a while since he’s last seen them, but they looked like they haven’t changed a bit.

Apparently, Iverson wasn’t joking about the heavy lifting and Keith found himself pulling a heavy wagon downhill without being run over by it. The three older men behind him laughed as he struggled and all he could do was flip them off, making them laugh harder. When finally on the beach, Thace took pity on him and helped push through the loose sand until they were at the mouth of the river and set up shop. The place packed from people all over the state and looking like a small city itself.

Thace put together three large nets while everyone else got dressed in their waders, grabbed a net and dragged it to the water. Thace would stay behind for now and bonk the fish and cut the tips of their tails off whenever one of them pulled in a fish. Keith felt ridiculous in his waders, a bit baggy on him, but ignored it as he carefully walked over wet clay to reach the cold water. He stopped once the water reached past his hips and turned his net on it’s side, the round metal rim just barely peeking past the brownish gray water.

Iverson and Ulaz were on either side of him in a staggering line so they weren’t blocking each other’s nets. There was a splash close by and Keith turned to see a woman had turned her net over and began dragging it as she made her way back to the beach where someone waited for her. A large salmon wiggled inside her net and they cheered.

“So how’s the boyfriend?” Iverson asked, keeping his gaze on the water. He didn’t sound disappointed or disgusted, but genuinely curious; like a father asking their son a question in general interest.

Keith smiled at the thought of Shiro. “He's doing good. He no longer has to work on the slope and is now looking for a home.”

“Good, good. He treating you right?”

Keith lifts an eyebrow and looks towards Iverson. “I’m still with him, doesn’t that say something. You know me."

The older man let out a chuckle. “I guess you’re right.”

When Keith found the courage to tell his guardian that he was gay, not wanting to hide anything from the person who kept him from foster care, Iverson didn’t even blink. He just shrugged his shoulders and said ok. It wasn’t long after that Keith found out that Ulaz and Thace were actually a couple and have been secret high school sweethearts. Iverson was disgusted back then and almost lost his friendship with them before realizing how truly in love his fiends were and how important they are to him. Keith never felt so accepted in his life at that moment.

“Where is he looking?” Ulaz spoke up, drawing the Korean's attention.

Before Keith could say anything, he felt the pole shake and immediately turned the opening of the net to the ocean floor and began dragging his net to the shore towards Thace, who was coming to meet him with a bright orange bonker. Once up on sand, Keith grinned in pride at the large salmon wiggling in his net and took the small club to bash the fish’s head. That done along with the tips of the tail cut off, Keith was back in the water while Thace put the fish in Keith’s cooler.

“Anyways,” the half Korean started, “hes been looking all over. Anywhere that has space, not a lot of neighbors, and has a huge garage so he can properly work on his cars after work.”

“He should look more south of Kenai and Soldotna, better people and safer neighborhoods… well, except for Coho. Heard there’s been a bunch of thefts down that road lately.” Iverson stuttered out the last bit as his net began to shake and he quickly turned it and ran as carefully as he could through the water to the shore.

“I think wherever you go, there’s going to be a point in your life where you’re going to be robbed,” Ulaz said quietly, resting the end of the pole on his shoulder, hanging his wrists over the pole. “But there are some nice places around here, hopefully in his price range.”

“He's found three on K-Beach road that he really likes, one on the bluff side of the road.”

Ulaz nodded. “Good, not too bad out there.”

Keith’s net shook again and he was quick to move back to shore, almost slipping on the clay beneath the water once before he was back on land and doing the same thing he did last time. Ulaz was right behind him, but he had caught a flounder, to which he threw back out into the inlet. Flounder wasn’t as appetizing or had a lot of meat on it.

It went on like this for several hours, taking turns with the other three men. Iverson had caught seven, the couple twelve between them, and Keith ten. After lunch, the tide had started to come back in and every few minutes, Keith had to back up out of the water before his waders start filling with water. The once bottlenecked mouth of the river widened and the catching frenzy had calmed down.

It was past four when Keith decided to take another break and have a snack, taking off his sweater now that he was back on warm sand. The sun was still high in the sky, looking like it was still the middle of the day and making it hot while not in the freezing water. He was eating some salami and string cheese when his phone in his sweater went off loudly. It was Shiro.

“Hey,” Keith answered with a dopey grin.

“Hey,” Shiro replied. “Stopped by the house… you’re not here.”

“I’m out dip netting with Iverson. Want to stop by?”

“Sure.”

Keith gave his boyfriend directions before going back to eating. It didn’t take long before Shiro showed and gave the line of people in and out of water interest, becoming glued to the sight of people pulling in fish. 

“That looks like fun. Can I try?” Shiro asked just as Ulaz pulled his net in.

Keith shook his head. “Not until you’re an Alaskan citizen.”

“Damn.” Shiro’s shoulders drooped as he sulked, being ignored by the Korean and older man as they beat the fish. Thace coming up behind him not long after.

By the time Keith decided to call it a day, he was tired and hungry, having only snacked throughout the day. Thace and Ulaz agreed it was time to pack up and leave, but Iverson wanted to stay a little longer to reach his daily quota. Keith rolled his eyes as he packed up his stuff into his cooler and had Shiro help him carry it up the hill while the older couple went out to eat and wait for Iverson to finish. By the sunburn forming on the man’s face, it wouldn’t be for much longer.

Back at the duplex, Keith wished Hunk was here to help fillet the fish since the large man was so good at it. But he’d take what he had, which was Shiro, and deal with it. It took a while to do since Shiro had never done it before and Keith had to go over every little detail. That in itself took time.

After cutting up the fish and putting them in freezer bags, Keith began on dinner, using some of the freshly caught salmon. The half Korean grimaced at the smell while Shiro watched in hunger at the sigh of the pinkish red meat being covered in seasoning and wrapped in foil before being placed in the BBQ. Keith hated seafood, but would eat the free food he caught himself, knowing his body would be happy for it.

Lance walked in through the doors as Keith had started on some mashed potatoes and asparagus and grinned at the sight before frowning at the smell of raw fish and the sight of sand all over the entryway. “God, you stink! What did you do, roll around in fish guts like a dog?!” He covered his nose with his hand and backed out of the kitchen. 

“Sorry, I would have taken a shower first, but I’m hungry. Just be happy you didn’t have to deal with messing with slimy, raw meat,” Keith snarked, checking the timer on his phone. Fish was almost done. 

Lance visibly shook in disgust and made a face. “Gross. Don’t sit on anything until you’ve had a shower.”

The half Korean rolled his eyes. “I know asshole. I deal with this at the hotel all the time during July.” He piled a glob of cream cheese and sour cream into the potatoes and began mashing them together. “People even put their fish in those tiny fridges in the room; it takes multiple cleanings before the smell finally comes out.”

“Why would locals stay at a hotel instead of at home?” Shiro asked, receiving pitying glances from the two younger men; Lance peeking into the kitchen to give it. “What?”

“You still have so much to learn,” Lance said before ducking back into the living room.

“People from all over the state come in to our tiny little town, sometimes staying the whole month in RVs, campsites, or hotels to fish the mouth of the river in Kenai and Kasilof. Especially fucking Anchorage assholes.” Keith placed the bowl of mashed potatoes aside and checked on the asparagus before placing them on a plate. “Its good for revenue, but it kinda clogs the city and makes it not worth going out because city drivers suck. No offense.”

Shiro shrugged. He grew up in a large city himself, but never bought a car despite having his driver’s license and took the public commute everywhere. Of course, that was all about to change since the only public commute they had here were taxis and CARTs. Uber drivers weren’t really a thing yet and wasting money on taxis was getting old.

“While annoying, it does bring more business to the hotel and longer days for me. Meaning bigger paychecks.” Keith handed the potatoes to Shiro before grabbing the plate of veggies and began bringing them into the small dinning room, setting them on the table along with plates and silverware. His phone beeped just in time and he went out to grab the fish.

As demanded, Keith didn’t sit down and ate standing up, doing an excellent job not spilling anything. Shiro didn’t smell too bad and was allowed to sit down, but had to take a shower afterwards. Small talk was made before Lance finished his meal and went into his room to do whatever he does in there. Keith finished quickly, very hungry, before he made his way to the shower and scrubbed himself, putting on some loose clothing when he finished since it was still hot as balls out.

When he came out, Shiro was still at the table, but was on his phone and looked down at it very seriously. Keith peeked over his shoulder and saw he was looking at car ads from local car businesses. The Korean immediately took the phone away, ignoring the other’s protests.

“Nope! Wrong place to look for a car,” Keith said as he began typing on it before handing it back. “This is where you look.”

Shiro took his phone back and saw he was now on his Facebook account, looking at used cars for sale on buy, sell, and trade. He gave Keith a confused look before scrolling down posts of old cars that needed some work, covered in rust, or that looked good but not what he wanted to drive during the winter months.

“Why would I buy a used crappy car instead of a brand new one?” Shiro asked as continued to look through the list, grimacing at one picture.

“Want to be in debt because of a car for several years?” Keith knew that Shiro made good money, but not enough for a fancy new car.

Shiro looked up at Keith with a frown and shook his head. “Not really.”

“Then look for a car here or craigslist. It doesn’t have to be in such bad condition or good for all that matter. Just get something that’s four-wheel drive and you feel comfortable driving. And for fucks sake, do not get a Ford. Oh! Like this one.” Keith tapped on the screen and blew up the picture of an old Toyota Tacoma. “Not that bad looking. Not very many miles on it and the inside of it looks nice. Only a few things need to be fixed. Good thing you’re a car guy.”

Shiro smirked and handed the phone to Keith. “Why don’t you be in charge of looking for a vehicle for me.”

Keith grinned and sat down on the couch while his boyfriend went to take a shower. By the time Shiro was done, the younger man had already found several.

…

Keith looked up at the house, wondering if Shiro could really afford it. While not huge, the home was two stories with a shop like garage a few yards away and a perfect view of the inlet and mountains. The inside was even better. Everything was updated and the floor plan was spacious with huge windows to show off the view right outside of the living room. The kitchen was the stuff of Hunk’s dreams and the master bedroom was enormous with a glorious bathroom. There was even a sauna outside with a short pathway leading to it.

The realtor was grinning the whole time and explaining it’s features that they had already read on the paper, but let the older man do it anyway. All three bedrooms besides the master’s was upstairs with a nice guest bathroom up and downstairs, making it a total of three bathrooms and four bedrooms with plenty of space. But it seemed too much space for one person, someone who always said he didn’t need a lot of space.

“What do you think?” Shiro asked Keith once they were back in the living room space, a very happy smile spread across his face, cheeks slightly flushed.

Keith smiled, but it wasn’t as big as the other’s. “Its really great. Very nice and spacious…”

“But?” Shiros smile dropped a little and waited for Keith to finish.

The half Korean shrugged and gave the space another look over. “It just seems a bit much for one person.”

The older man wrapped his arm over Keith’s waist and pulled him close to him as he stared out the window. “Well I wasn’t planning on living here by myself.”

Keith looked up at him in confusion, but Shiro kept silent and smiled down at his boyfriend. It clicked when Shiro raised an eyebrow and the half Korean blushed and began to sputter as he tried to come up with something to say back. Shiro chuckled and kissed Keith’s temple, making the Korean blush harder as he found himself unable to speak.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right away. Besides, this isn’t the only house we’re looking at today.” The older man unwrapped his arm from Keith’s waist so he could hold his hand instead as they left the home and back to Keith’s truck.

There were two other homes to look at, all far apart from each other and Keith found himself driving a lot that day. Out of the three that Shiro liked, Keith liked the second. It was a little farther out, but it had space with only a few neighbors and still a nice view of the ocean and mountains. The home was one story with only two bedrooms and one bath while still being spacious. It had a large detached garage and a large shed beside it, a greenhouse towards the back of it.

Keith fell in love with it instantly. It had been updated recently and had a modern cabin feel to it with a stone fireplace, a wooden fence around the property. When they left the house, he found himself talking about it all the way to the third house. But by the look on Shiro’s face, he didn’t like it as much, mostly because of the wood plated walls and dark carpeting. The home looked dark inside and did have some wallpaper in the master bedroom that wasn’t all that nice. But Keith was already imagining everything he could do to it to spruce it up a bit more.

Two weeks later, Shiro bought the cabin like house and moved in. Keith didn’t feel comfortable about moving in yet, considering they hadn’t even seen each other half naked yet, and Shiro gave him his space. He was also grateful for Keith’s enthusiasm in helping when the older man began ripping out carpet and replaced the wood boards with sheetrock.

When Lance and Hunk heard about Shiro’s moving in proposal, they were both happy and sad. Sad, especially on Lance’s part because he’ll be mostly alone during the weeks Hunk is away before his boyfriend finally opens his restaurant. But for right now, they’ll be happy that they still have Keith for the time being.

…

Finally, rain. It rained four straight days and the once complaining guests stopped with the heat issue. It was the middle of August and the heat of the summer was at its’ all time high still until the rain finally came and Keith found himself not sweating as much when working on the second floor of the hotel. The deal with putting an AC in this hotel is it would be a waste of money during the winter when business slowed since it would only run for three to four months at most if it remained this hot, which wasn’t normal to what he remembered. This summer and last had been unusually hot.

Keith sat on the floor next to the cleaning cart to have a five minute breather, drinking water and enjoying some cookies made from almond flour. The other worker cleaning the upstairs with him stopped by the cart to write down that the room she cleaned was done before noticing Keith. She was new, but had learned pretty quick and proved to be a hard worker.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she took off her gloves and threw them away in the bag attached to the cart.

“Just taking a quick break,” he replied.

“On the floor?”

Keith shrugged and took a long gulp from his bottle. “Don’t want to waste time going all the way downstairs for a few minutes before having to come back up. Easier to just sit here, it’s not like we have droves of people coming down the hall.”

The girl smirked as she leaned against the cart, she was the only one so far who wasn’t shy to talk to him besides Pidge and Allura. “Would you get into trouble if you were caught?”

“Not really, we’re kinda laid back here as long as we get work done and done right.” Finishing off his cookies, Keith stood up and grabbed some latex gloves as he looked to see what needed to be cleaned next, placing his bottle back on the cart. 

She nodded and went to a door of a stay and knocked, calling out housekeeping. No answer. Knock, housekeeping! No answer. She opened the door before immediately closing it as quietly as she could, grabbing a Do Not Disturb sign to place on the handle and writing it down on the list. She had a small scowl on her face as she pushed the cart down the hall to the next set of doors.

“I hate it when people don’t put the stupid sign on their door when they want to sleep,” the girl mumbled as she began the knocking, housekeeping process again.

“Maybe they didn’t have the sign or they fell asleep without meaning too,” Keith said after she checked the room to make sure no one was there.

She shrugged and pushed a dirty rag underneath the door to keep it wide open to reveal that the stay became a checkout. Since this was the last room upstairs, Keith decided to help out and the two ended up talking the whole time, finding they had similar tastes in music, movies, and shows. The half Korean found himself really liking Acxa by the time they finished the room and put the cart away.

“So you’re saying I can dye my hair blue again and not get in trouble?” she asked as she took the laundry bag off the cart, looking as if she wanted to throw it down the stairs.

“Yup. You can do your make-up, your hair, your clothes in whatever way you want as long as you wear the work scrubs at work. But most of the girls don’t really bother with clothing or makeup, especially the two older woman.” He grabbed the trash and the two made their way downstairs.

“Really? Sweet.” Acxa smirked as they reached the lobby. They went their separate ways as she went down into the basement while he used a back door to throw the garbage into the dumpster.

When he came back inside he found Acxa again and began to clean rooms together, the two talking and even laughing. This made work enjoyable today, to actually talk to someone similar to yourself while cleaning and making the day pass by fast. It wasn’t quite four yet, but Pidge had come early to make a pancake snack and she had watched the two come down the hallway with a raised brow. Keith didn’t notice until Acxa was gone.

“What?” he asked when he saw the way Pidge was looking at him.

“Oh nothing, just wondering when you made a new friend?” From the way she spoke, it sounded like she was jealous. She had looked away and pretended to look at her fingernails.

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Today I guess. Why, jealous?”

The young girl immediately became defensive and replied loudly, “No!”

The half Korean couldn’t stop the smirk from growing on his face as Pidge’s flushed. “Don’t worry, Pidge, you’re still my number one gal.”  
She snorted at his teasing and pushed her glasses up her nose as she spun her chair away from him, playing around on her phone.

Allura just then came out from the back office Dow the hall and smiled widely at Keith, coat over an arm along with her purse. “Done already?”

“Yup, and now I’m going home to eat,” Keith replied as he clocked out. He needed to go downstairs into the basement to grab his stuff.

“I heard that Shiro had asked you to move in with him,” Allura said, stopping Keith. She looked so happy at this and had her hands clasped together in front of her. “I’m so happy for you.”

Keith scratched a cheek, becoming uncomfortable. “I haven’t exactly said yes yet.”  
This made both women stare at him in surprise, Pidge having peeked over the side of the chair.

“What?” Allura said the same time Pidge asked why.

Keith looked around, finding no one but the three of them, before divulging to them what was holding him back. “I’m just not comfortable yet.”  
Pidge furrowed her brows in confusion. “You two have been dating for over half a year and you’re uncomfortable?”

Keith crossed his arms and looked away. “He's been gone for most of that time and it’s not the same when talking on the phone. Whatever comfortableness we established while he’s back goes away when he’s gone.”

“But he doesn’t do that anymore and you two have been around each other for over a month now,” Pidge continues, having turned back towards the Korean.

Keith shrugged. “I’m just having a hard time completely opening myself up to him and I’m afraid that if I do, he’s not going to like what he sees.” He lets out an irritated huff. “And when I move in with him, I’ll see more of him… much more.”

The two ladies gave him confused looks before Pidge seemed to get it.

“Wait, you’re telling me you haven’t had any kind of sex with that hot piece of ass yet?”

Keith blushed deeply at this and looked away. 

“Oh my god!” Pidge looked like a cat who caught the bird and she pushed herself forward so she could place her elbows on the counter, head in her hands. “So how far have you gone?”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate or any of our business,” Allura suddenly butted in with a small frown as Keith’s blush continued to deepen.

“Did you two make out or necked yet?” the young girl continued as if she hadn’t heard her boss.

“Pidge,” Allura warned, crossing her arms and finally gaining Pidge’s attention.

“What? I’m trying to help out a friend and I can’t do that unless I have all the facts.” The young girl turned back to Keith, who was now hiding his face with a hand. “So spill. Tell me everything so I can figure out what kind of advice I need to give you. At least you’re not a virgin, right?”

When the half Korean stayed quiet and ducked his head while Allura let out a small gasp at the forward question, Pidge’s eyes widened and her mouth went slack.

“Really? You’re twenty-six years old and you’re still a virgin?!”

Keith swung his head around to make sure no body overhead them before he shushed her. “Yes and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s exactly right,” the manager said, putting on a comforting smile. “There’s no shame in being a virgin. I see it as a sign that you’re saving yourself for the right person and keeping away from getting STDs.”

Keith returned the smile with a small one. “Thanks Allura.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Pidge waved her hand as if waving off their conversation. “Please tell me you masturbate at least?”

He gave the smaller girl a narrowed eye look as his face stayed red and that was all she needed.

“Do you have fun while masturbating?”

“Oh my lord, Pidge,” Allura mumbled out in surprise as she covered her eyes with her left hand.

“Pidge! Ok, I’m done talking to you about this.” Keith moved away from the counter and goes down into the basement to grab his stuff. So much for advice.

When he comes back up, Allura was seen reprimanding Pidge, who was pretending to listen, before the smaller girl stood up and loudly told Keith to wait and then follow her.

Against his better judgement, Keith follows her down the hallway on the other side of the counter and into the kitchen towards the back. She opens one of the several unused pizza ovens and pulls out a box before handing it to Keith. The half Korean took it and almost dropped it when he saw what it was.

“Seriously Pidge?” He holds the box up and has the front of it facing her. It was a vibrator, a very expensive looking one too with several speeds and different vibrations. “How in the hell did you get your hands on this?”

Pidge smirked as she crossed her arms. “One of the girls found it left behind in one of the rooms and brought it to the lost and found.”

Keith lifted an eyebrow and looked down at the box again. “They gave it to you instead of taking it home themselves?” With how expensive this looked, he would have thought anyone would be happy to steal this without bringing it to the lost and found and wait the thirty days. Unless… “It was Britney who found it, wasn’t it?” 

“Yup.” 

Britney was the only religious girl working here and she often had a snobby attitude, especially towards Keith. She probably was showing off how good of a girl she was by bringing the toy to the front desk instead of taking it.

He stared at the blue, bumpy toy before looking back at Pidge. “Why don’t you take it?”

“I already have plenty of toys hidden beneath my bed,” she replied with a snicker, obviously enjoying Keith’s uncomfortableness.

“Ugh, I didn’t need to know that.”

“Well, go have some fun and really explore in what you like. It’ll help when you and Shiro start getting hot and heavy.”

“Pidge! Fuck, please stop.”

She laughed as she went back to the desk just as a new guest entered, Allura putting on her coat and getting ready to go. Keith continued to eye the box, contemplating before finally deciding to take it. He hid it in his coat after putting it on and waved to Pidge as he passed, receiving a wave back since no one was holding her attention anymore. He pulled the hood of his coat over his head to protect it from the rain and hurried to his truck just as his boss pulled out onto the road.

Once home, he realized he was alone and Shiro still had an hour of work left and it would take twenty minutes to drive from Soldotna to Kenai… so Keith had some time to kill. Or play. He pulled the box from his coat and set it aside as he took off his jacket and hung it on one of the knobs next to the door. He picked the box up again, opened it, washed the toy, and fled to his room before he could psych himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Alaska is the only place that I know so far that makes redbull specials. I used to drink them all the time when I used to work at the hotel and I miss them, but no more bad stuff in my body thanks to the new diet.  
> Dip netting may sound boring, but it's actually really fun. Did it for the first time this summer and I kinda freaked out internally because I was out in open water and a fish would bump into my legs. Plus the water is very cloudy thanks to all the clay.  
> Not surprisingly, there is only one sex shop where I live and it's behind a creepy metal door outside the mall. In my mind I was thinking the store would think of Pidge being too young because of her looks and would make it impossible for her to get her hands on a sex toy.


	3. Chapter 3

He psyched out. As soon as he was in his room, he undressed to his underwear and got the small tube of lube hidden under his bed out, but was unable to do more than that. Keith sat on his bed, staring at the toy in his hands for over forty minutes when the sound of the door opening made him jump and hide the toy and lube beneath his bed. Lance’s loud voice could be heard echoing through the house along with Hunk’s and Keith calmed, glad it wasn’t Shiro. He didn’t know what he would do if it was his boyfriend, Keith was embarrassed at almost being caught by his best friend. How would he react if it was Shiro. 

He forgot about the toy after that.

August had gone and it was now September. As days passed, it started to become cooler, mostly because of the rain and windstorms that dragged on throughout the month. The sun came out less and less and at one point their shared yard became one small lake with fallen leaves floating within it. Business had also calmed and Keith found himself working less and asking Allura for more. What else needed cleaned that would bring him more hours?

When the rooms started filling up again because of working men/women of various businesses and staying months at a time, Keith found himself become stressed because several of those guests would give him and the other housekeepers a hard time. It stressed him out because he had to keep calm and stay polite, but it was hard when one of the men constantly complained about something. The room was too hot or too cold, the water had a brown tinge to it, the conventional breakfast wasn’t to his liking nor the coffee, the sheets weren’t soft enough. Bullshit like that.

The water had a brown tinge to it sometimes because that’s what it does for some reason and it didn’t just happen at the hotel. There really was nothing they could do about the sheets or the breakfast, but there was a Carr’s Safeway, a Walmart, and a McDonalds all within walking distance where he could get himself some sheets and food to his liking. As for the room, there was a thermostat in every room where they can change the settings for the room’s personal heater. The guy just didn’t want to mess with it himself. Obviously, the guy was just a complainer.

It also didn’t help that Shiro was still waiting for Keith’s answer and was starting to become impatient. While he was good at hiding it, Keith could see through the smile that Shiro was tired of waiting. It came to a point where Shiro was done waiting and asked Keith what the hold up was; they got into their first major fight that day. Keith was scared that this was the end of their relationship and had a hard time concentrating on cleaning the next day. The others could tell something was up, but gave him space… until the work day was over and Allura forced him into the empty breakfast room while leaving the other front desk worker alone.

“Are you ok?” was the first thing she asked once they were seated on a couch towards the very back of the large room.

Keith knew there was no getting away from her and he found he didn’t want to. He needed someone to talk to about this that would give better advice than Lance and Hunk was gone until Friday. He quietly shook his head and held back tears that desperately wanted to come out.

“What happened?” she asked calmly, placing a comforting arm across his back where her hand rested on his arm, the other on his lap.

“I got into a fight with Shiro,” Keith replied sadly as he stared at his lap. “Like a really big one.”

Allura gave him a sad look. “What started it?”

“He asked if I was ready to move in yet and I said I still wasn’t ready. He was more annoyed than angry before I gave him my reason why.” He paused and wrung his hands, listening to the heavy rain patter against the large window behind him. Allura waited patiently for him to continue. “I said I wasn’t ready because I felt uncomfortable being alone with him for long bouts of time to which made him start to get angry, but didn’t say anything. I told him that once I move in, we’ll be alone most of the time and that will lead up to sex, which I’m not ready for. The longer I talked the more angry he became before he finally exploded on me. I can’t remember everything he said, but he did say things like how maybe I’m not gay and only with him out of pity. Or maybe making too much of a big deal out of it. Stuff like that. I left before he could say anything more and went back home.”

“Oh Keith.” Allura hugged the half Korean, rubbing his back, and Keith hid his face in her neck. “I can’t believe he said those things to you.”

“That was the first time I’ve ever seen him angry.” When Shiro suddenly raised his voice and got up in Keith’s face, the half Korean became very intimidated and felt the need to fight or flight. He chose flight despite wanting to fight because he knew it would become physical the longer he stayed and then the relationship really would be over. Seeing Shiro like that was scary, but not terrifying and Keith knew he could have taken on the older man; Iverson didn’t teach MMA in the army for nothing. Whatever anger he had was gone and was left with sadness.

“Was he drinking?”

The question surprised him and he pulled away to look Allura in the eye and saw that she was being serious. He wanted to ask, but decided not to and just answer her. “No, he doesn’t. He said he didn’t want to end up like his alcoholic father.”

“Has he been in any kind of stress lately?”

Again, he was confused but thought back to the past couple of weeks and realized that Shiro had been under a lot of pressure lately. “Actually, yes. He’s been complaining about some new employees who have been giving him a hard time and he can’t take action because they’re related to people high up on the company food chain. Not only that, his boss won’t give him a raise even though he’s been working for them for over a year now and he’s better at what he does then the rest of them.”

Allura appeared in thought as she assessed the situation and a held a finger to her chin. “It seems like the dam finally broke and he took all his frustration out on you. I’m not trying to give him an excuse for treating you that way, but I think you should give him a second chance and talk with him. Everyone, even the most patient of people, have their breaking points and often times take it out on the wrong person. But I think Shiro is honestly a good person and I would hate for you two to break up. But if he becomes abusive in anyway, you dump his ass and don’t look back.”

Keith laughed around a sniffle, now noticing that his eyes had leaked some during the time they had hugged. “I know that. I’d probably be the one to say, you should see the other guy's face.”

Allura laughed softly and ran her fingers through his hair the best she could with it still in a small ponytail. “But seriously, you should talk to him; get everything squared away.”

“I will… after I deck his face.”

His boss gave an unsure chuckle as if she didn’t know if he was being serious or not. “Don’t bruise his face too badly.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

Allura had this look like she was beginning to believe that Keith might actually go through with hitting Shiro and raised an eyebrow. “Um, ok. Well, I should get back to work and you should head home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She patted his shoulder and left the room, redoing her hair bun.

Keith sat there for a couple more minutes to clean himself up and wait for the redness in his eyes to die down before he left, stopping by the store to grab a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Truffle Kerfuffle. And when he reached the duplex, he took a long hot bath with some pink Himalayan bath salts that belonged to Lance and kept the door open so he could watch the TV he had turned towards the door, eating the ice cream.

That was how Lance found him when he came home from a tattoo appointment and immediately was on Keith, asking many questions that the half Korean ignored. He could understand his friend’s concern since Keith only did this when he was upset and needed to treat himself, but Lance didn’t need all the details until after he had his talk with Shiro.

Lance finally accepted defeat when Keith threatened to ruin his collection of expensive oils if he didn’t leave the half Korean alone and left him alone. And after soaking in the tub for almost an hour, Keith dressed in his favorite woman’s T-shirt sleepwear that went down to his knees and slid on some very soft, female cheeky style underwear, something he never wore in front of Shiro. Keith was afraid what his boyfriend would think of him if he found out the half Korean liked wearing women’s clothing, besides dresses. 

When he came out dressed that way, he felt like himself for the first time; having not worn anything feminine other than underwear since he met Shiro. Lance’s brows raised to his hairline and gave the other a once over, pausing in his gaming. Keith felt himself puff up in pride in the other’s attention and smiled confidently as he sat next to his roommate.

“I haven’t seen you wear that in a very long time,” Lance said as he slipped the headphones from his head. He was most likely going to edit this part out before downloading it onto YouTube. “You wearing the underwear?”

Keith rolled his eyes, but stood up and lifted the shirt over his behind as he replied, “I always wear my favorite underwear.” He let the shirt fall back into place and sat down again.

“But not your sexy lingerie. At least lately.” Lance gulped with a blush, not at all hiding his excitement. “Sometimes I wonder why we never got together.”

“Because you’re an asshole and we would have fought all the time… at least more than we do now. Plus scrawny brunette’s aren’t my type.” Keith smirked tauntingly, enjoying the way Lance’s face scrunched up in anger as the native tried to come up with a smart come back.

A knock on the door disturbed their little dispute and Keith immediately sobered, already knowing who was most likely at the door. Lance sighed as he stood up to answer it, but Keith was quick in grabbing him and pushing him down the short hallway to his bedroom. Lance protested the whole way, but didn’t question Keith as he was shoved into his bedroom with the door slammed in his face. Lance didn’t bother on trying to escape and ended his bout of protests with asking Keith to turn off all his equipment.

Keith did before he answered the door and sure enough, Shiro was there, looking very ragged with his unkempt hair and dark bags under his eyes. There was no greeting smile or sparkling eyes for Keith today, just a look of guilt and shame. Keith stepped aside and let the man in, feeling all the anger he had last night fill him again and once they were in the living room, Keith really did end up decking Shiro right in the face. His fist made contact with the left side of Shiro’s head and boy did it feel good, especially with the resounding smack it made on impact.

Shiro stumbled back and coveref his face with a hand, looking at Keith in shock. No longer did there stand a quiet, kind young man. That person was replaced with a very angry, very empowered person that Shiro had yet to see. Something that was amazing in and of itself since Keith found himself quick to anger most of the time. 

“I deserved that,” Shiro said as he removed his hand from his face, which was already beginning to redden around his eye. It wouldn’t be long before it darkened into a bruise.

“You deserve so much more than that, but I’ll leave it at that because we have some talking to do. Sit down.” Keith pointed to the couch and the other was quick to obey. He sat down on the other side of the couch and faced him, pressing his back against the couch with arms crossed over his chest. “So… go ahead and say whatever it is you came to say.”

Shiro rested his elbows on his thighs and let his clasped hands hang between his legs, not looking over towards the other. “I’m sorry for last night. It was uncalled for and you didn’t deserve it. I was having a particularly hard day yesterday and I let my anger take control of me. I know that’s not an excuse, but it’s the reason that I snapped and got angry with you when you said you were uncomfortable being alone with me long periods of time. I just wanted to be in control of something and at the time it made sense to me until you left and I realized how much of an idiot I am for saying all those things to you. I didn’t mean them.”

Keith held up a hand, stopping Shiro in his babbling. “I think, in a way, you did mean them but didn’t mean to say them so hurtfully. I could see your frustration with me before then and it’s because you’re becoming impatient.” Keith let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. “Look, I’m grateful for how patient you have been along side dealing with the shitheads at your workplace. And I get that everyone has their limits, but it was not alright to release all that shit on me last night.”

“I know, I’m very sorry.” Shiro did indeed look very sorry for what he did and Keith thought he was about to go down onto his knees and beg for forgiveness.

“Shiro (sigh), you’re a great person and I enjoy being around you, but when you pull out shit like that, all I want to do is punch you in the face repeatedly and that’s one of the main reasons I left yesterday.”

Shiro said nothing and continued to look ashamed of himself.

“And I know I haven’t helped. I don’t completely open up and have you be the one to talk all the time unless we’re talking about stuff we both like. I shut myself off whenever you ask too personal of a question. So… as of right now, I’m going to tell you everything about me and then let you decide if you still want me to move in with you.”

Shiro looked up at Keith then, wanting to protest about the last bit while also looking excited. But he kept his mouth shut and eyed Keith as he waited for the younger man to continue.

Keith took in a deep breath to calm himself and sat up straight before staring right back at Shiro. “While you know I like anime, you don’t know that I also like BL anime and manga. I hate all those detective reality shows you like to watch because a lot them deal with rape and it makes me uncomfortable. I like a lot of childish shows and movies and normally I’m a very loud and weird person. And most of all, I like to wear women’s clothing and lingerie besides dresses or anything floral or with ruffles. Wearing women’s lingerie makes me feel sexy as well as other clothing.”

Keith stopped when he saw how excited Shiro was becoming towards the end and was starting to blush heavily. His eyes widened when he realized that his boyfriend wasn’t at all disgusted with his clothing interest but rather intoxicated; most likely by the thought of Keith in sexy lingerie.

“You don’t mind that I wear something like that?” the half Korean questioned a little shyly, blushing as well. 

“Actually, I find it rather endearing,” Shiro answered, smiling for the first time that day. “Wait, is that why you’ve been taking your time in moving in with me? Because you’re afraid that I wouldn’t want you anymore when I found out about your little secret, not just because you’re uncomfortable being alone with me?”

Keith nodded and looked away, the flush on his cheeks deepening. “And because I’m a virgin.”

Shiro’s eyes widened at this and he straightened in his seat before giving a slow nod, rubbing the back of his neck. “That explains a few things.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I did it on purpose. Just haven’t met anyone I liked enough to do something like that… until now.” Keith blushed as he kept his head down and stared at Shiro from the corner of his eye through his hair, a small grin spreading across his face. “Trust me, you are one very good looking man. I just haven’t found the courage to do anymore than kissing.”

Shiro slid across the couch until their thighs touched and placed a hand over Keith’s, joining their fingers together. “Are you comfortable with your body?”

The half Korean shrugged. “Kinda, I mean, I don’t really go crazy when I’m… you know. I just do it to take the edge off and do it quickly.” He was sure his face was as red as a tomato as he talked, embarrassed talking about it.

It didn’t matter that Shiro was blushing as well, but not from embarrassment it seemed as he says, “we should stop talking about this before I start getting even more excited than I already am.” He used a free hand to cover his face as his face continued to darken, placing his other hand over the front of his pants.

Keith feared that steam would start blowing from his ears for how hot his face felt. “I think so too.”

“But I will say one last thing about it; get comfortable with your own body before moving in, because once things start heating up, I’m probably going to have a hard time stopping because you’re really hot.”

For some reason, Keith started to snicker as discomfort filled him and hid his face in his lap. Shiro let out a nervous chuckle and pulled his hand away to pat Keith’s back awkwardly, the gesture confusing the half Korean because he wasn’t sad yet it made him laugh anyways.

“Are we ok?” the older man asked, letting his hand rest on Keith’s back. The weight of it was nice and it radiated heat onto his back, making the half Korean feel all giddy inside.

Keith sat up, the hand sliding down to rest on the couch behind him, and smiled gently at his boyfriend. “Yeah, we’re ok.” Then he became very serious as he said the next part. “But if you ever start talking to me like that again, I won’t hold back next time.”

Shiro frowned with a look of uncertainty, but nodded. “Ok… to tell the truth, I was a bit surprised when you suddenly walked out without a word instead of shouting back at me like I’ve seen you do with Lance.”

“Because I was afraid of doing or saying something stupid. Lance is my best friend, sure. But you’re more than that to me. I don’t want to do something out of anger and regret it. I’ve done that plenty of times with Lance over the years and I don’t want to do that with you.” Keith let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his dark brown locks, for a second thinking about cutting his mullet styled hair that Lance is always teasing him about. “Last night, I was so intimated and angry that all I could think about was wanting to tackle you to the floor and beat your face in. But I knew deep down that’s not what I really wanted and I left to cool off so I wouldn’t do anything I would regret.”

The look of guilt on Shiro’s face hurt, but the older man needed to hear the truth no matter how much it did. Keith cupped Shiro’s face and leaned in to kiss his cheek, blushing as he did so.

“Look, Shiro, I’m not backing out of our relationship over one fight, no matter how major. I…” Keith paused and bit his lip, wondering if it was the right time to say it. But he felt it deep down, for a while now too, and he didn’t want to chicken out and have it become too late. “I love you Shiro. Like a lot.”

Shiro blushed deeply and Keith was afraid the other would pass out from all the blood going to his head… if that was even a thing. The older man’s eyes widen as did his smile and the next thing Keith knew, he was being hugged tightly and having a hard time breathing since his neck was being pressed into Shiro’s shoulder. But he hugged back and closed his eyes as he smiled, enjoying the scent of the older man.

“I love you too Keith,” Shiro mumbled back in the half Korean’s neck. 

Keith’s heart stuttered in his chest and his smile widened.

“When I first met you, all I could think about was making you mine. To tell the truth, I almost asked someone to ask what your age was because I didn’t know if you were over eighteen.”

The younger man laughed and pulled away, the happiness within him not dying down. “So that’s why you were so surprised when I said I was twenty two.”

Shiro pretended to look offended. “You just looked so young with that very nice skin of yours that it was hard to tell.”

Keith just laughed harder as he thought back to when he went through puberty. He was glad he was homeschooled then because his face became one big scab before he went to a dermatologist and switched his face wash to something more natural and sensitive. He was surprised he didn’t have any long lasting aftereffects like pits or scars.

“Well since you shared a deep secret with me, I’ll share something with you. I’m terrified of moths,” Shiro said in a stage whisper.

Keith snorted and tried to hold back his laughter, but with how much he laughed already, he didn’t last and started doing his ugly laugh. You know the one. The one where you laugh so hard and almost to the point where it’s silent, but you’re still making sound and it sounds ugly yet you don’t care; stopping a few times to wheeze in a breath.

Shiro tried to look upset at being laughed at, but couldn’t help but laugh as well when Keith’s ugly laugh began. It was obvious the half Korean really needed it and Keith was soon crying with how hard he was laughing and holding his stomach. Then the silent laughter began, only shattering when Keith needed a breath and it sounded like a squeal whenever he did it.

“I haven’t seen him laugh this hard in a long time,” a forgotten voice stated close to the couch, crossing their arms.

Keith looked over to see Lance and took a deep breath to calm himself down enough to talk, but was having trouble and kept breaking into giggles or snickers that threatened to become a full on belly laugh again.

“I told him I was afraid of moths,” Shiro explained.

Lance furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he snickered. “That’s it? And he just started laughing like this?”

Shiro shrugged. “It had built up over time and I guess the moths comment was the tipping point.”

“Well, whatever. As long as you guys got whatever between you two figured out. He was pretty tense when he came home last night and wouldn’t talk to me.” Lance paused and stared at the older man’s face, noticing the bruise starting to form. “What happened to your face?”

“I punched him,” Keith snickered out, doing his best to calm down.

Lance was a bit taken back by this and gave the couple a worrying glance. “Should I be concerned?”

“No, no. I deserved it. But everything’s fine now,” Shiro was quick to reply, not making the roommate feel any better. “I let my stress with work get the better of me last night and I said some things I shouldn’t have.” He touched his cheek and winced at the pain. 

Lance stared the two down with narrow eyes before shrugging and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Keith had sobered up and was now frowning slightly at the mark he gave his boyfriend. He didn’t regret it, but he still felt guilty he gave it now that his anger dissipated.

Shiro noticed the look and gave the other a warm grin. “Don’t worry about it. At least now I know you can certainly defend yourself.”

Keith gave a chuckle, but it was humorless. 

“Whelp, I should get going. I still need to finish the new tiling around the fireplace,” Shiro said as he stood and popped his back.

Keith nodded. “You don’t want to stay for dinner?”

“Nah, I’ll pick something up on the way home. Probably try that new restaurant.”

Keith squinted, trying to figure out what restaurant just opened before finally remembering. “You mean Samurai Sam’s?”

“Yeah. Is it any good?”

“You’re asking the wrong person for that. I don’t really like Asian food.”

Shiro looked at Keith like he had grown a second head. “But… aren’t you half Asian?”

Keith shrugged. “So? Still don’t like it.”

The older man looked like he was trying to come up with something to say to that. “… ok, I’ll see you later then.” He bent down to give Keith a kiss.

The half Korean blushed as he kissed back, enjoying the other’s lips on his. “Bye. See you later. I love you.”

Shiro’s expression elated and he smiled widely as he replied. “I love you too.” One last kiss and he was gone.

“Wow, onto the I love you stage I see. Finally,” Lance spoke up once the older man left, smirking from his spot near the kitchen entrance.

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled and leaned back against the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table.

“Oh nononono it’s my turn to make fun of you now. After the way you teased me when I finally said the three words to Hunk, I’m not letting you go that easily.” Lance’s face became menacing and Keith feared what the other would do.

…

“So how’d it go?” Allura asked after Keith signed in, obviously becoming impatient waiting for the guest checking out to leave.

“Good. We talked and everything went well,” Keith answered with a genuine smile, enjoying being able to wear his feminine Tshirts underneath his scrubs without fear of being rejected by Shiro. He was still wearing women clothes when he first met his boyfriend, but the only time he ever saw Keith was when he was in scrubs before Keith stopped wearing them when they saw each other outside of the hotel. “Got a few things off our chests and now I’m feeling ready about moving in.” 

The tall women jumped where she stood and clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s so good to hear! I’m so happy for you!”

“But there’s a couple of things I need to do first.”

Allura didn’t ask and just nodded, switching to a different topic. “So… I bought myself a new riffle and could use some help sighting it in. If you want to that is.”

“You mean Lotor pissed you off again and bought you a pretty new weapon to make up for it.” Keith smirked as he a raised a brow, having never heard of a woman wanting a gun instead of jewelry or flowers. He was sure there were more women like that out there, he just hadn’t met any yet until Allura. “I’m surprised he isn’t afraid of you with how large your collection is. What’d he do this time?”

The woman shrugged and frowned slightly. “He snapped at me the other night when all I asked of him was to hang up his coat when he came home and had dropped his coat in front of the door.” She spoke as if it was nothing, but the look in her eyes said otherwise and it was most likely not the first time. “Then I snapped back and told him he could sleep on the couch. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he stomped off into his office instead and stayed there all night.”

“He's not being abusive, is he?” Keith couldn’t help but ask as he noticed the stress settled on her forehead.

She gave a dark chuckle. “He wouldn’t dare if he wants to see his prick the next day.”

He shuddered at that and knew Allura was perfectly capable of doing it. “If you say so.”

“I’m sorry,” she sighed and hunched in her chair, sitting her arms on the counter and twirled a strand of hair that had fallen from her bun. “Its been very stressful lately. Lotor’s client is one big mess and his parents, well… they found him and have been calling him none stop. He won’t tell me what they talk about, but I can tell it’s not good.”

Keith frowned when Allura didn’t elaborate on the parents comment and decided against asking for more since it wasn’t his business. “So basically, he’s doing the same thing Shiro did to me. Did you talk to him at all after that?”

“We did, but it doesn’t feel like anything’s gotten fixed.” Allura took a sip of her apple cider vinegar drink thing, the look of sadness unbecoming of her. “As much as I love my rifles, I don’t want them as apologies. I told him so, but he doesn’t agree with me.”

Before anything else could be said, Acxa entered with a large cup of coffee in her hand and her uniform in the other. “Good morning,” she said as she sets her stuff down to clock in. She takes the list and saw it was all stays. “Who’s working today?”

“Just us since it’s just stays today with a few day sleepers,” the half Korean replied. “Which floor do you want?”

“Ill take the second to give you a break since you’re always doing it,” Axca said before taking off her beanie, showing off her dyed blue hair.

“Awesome, thanks. Your hair looks great by the way.”

Axca grinned happily and takes the second floor list before heading down into the basement to change and hopefully fill up the dumbwaiter since Keith hadn’t gotten to it yet.

Keith gives his attention back to Allura, giving her a look of worry. “What are you going to do?”

The smile she had given Axca slipped and was replaced with a small frown. “I think it’s time to get some professional help and I just know it’s going to be like pulling teeth with him.”

“Will you be alright?”

“I will be, but some shooting after work would definitely help.” Allura gave Keith a hopeful look and the half Korean chuckled just as Acxa came back up, dressed in the ugly green scrubs.

“I think I’ll have some time after work,” Keith said as Acxa passed by them and headed upstairs. “Its been awhile since I last shot a gun; this’ll be nice.” The adrenaline pumping through his veins as he slowed his breathing and gently pulled the trigger before it finally went off with a loud bang, jerking against his shoulder. Ah, it would be epic.

Allura clapped her hands together in front of her chest and smiled widely. “Great!”

“Now I better get to work and hopefully one fourteen doesn’t have a DND up, I really need to get in there and clean it.” Keith grabbed his list and went to the kitchen to pull out the other cart and stock it, maneuvering it around the hallway like a pro. The fucking thing was heavy and hard to move around unless you knew it by heart, but if you didn’t… it was a good thing it had little bumpers on the sides or you’d find yourself paying for a hole in the wall to be patched up.

Keith started at the end of the hall where most of the day sleepers were and gave some of the rooms' bathrooms a good scrubbing. Oil workers from the Halliburton company had a gig in Nikiski and were planning on staying in the hotel for three months. They had been here a week already and Keith recognized a few of them from the last time they were here. Halliburton wasn’t the only oil company that often used the Quality Inn and it usually brought them a lot of business during the colder months.

One fourteen was free and Keith gave the room a good scrub and found a note saying ‘for the housekeepers' with three king sized candy bars on the night stand. There was only one candy bar he could have because it didn’t have wheat in it and shared the rest with Allura and Acxa. He changed the sheets and everything, making the room smell extra fresh as a thank you for the candy bars. While Keith always made sure the rooms were cleaned and smelled properly, those who treated him and his workers right got their rooms smelling extra fresh with an extra set of soap and the like. It was a small gesture, but many of the working guests were grateful for it.

Once back to the beginning of the hall with a pocketful of change and a few dollar bills as tips, Keith handed Allura his list and began unloading his cart. He shouted ‘incoming!’ down the stairs to the basement before tossing the laundry bag down. Acxa must have brought her laundry bag down just before him because as soon as it landed, she grabbed it and dragged it into the laundry room. With that out of the way, he pushed the cart back into the kitchen and left the trash bag on it since there was barely any garbage in it.

When he came back out, he saw Acxa giving her list to Allura before signing out; uniform hooked over her arm. She must not have had a lot of rooms to clean today. She placed her beanie back over head and said goodbye before exiting, looking happy to be done early. Keith wasn’t, short days meant small paychecks. Before he could even open his mouth to ask for something extra to do, Allura was already on it.

“That public bathrooms could use some good cleaning and the conference room needs to be vacuumed as well as the hallways. Everything in the weight room needs wiped down and the windows in the lobby needs to be cleaned as well as the lobby’s floor. Think you can handle that?”

Keith let out a sigh of relief while also feeling reluctant with wanting to go home and nodded. “Thanks.”

“But take a quick break and eat first. It’s lunch time after all.” She grinned and Keith obeyed.

The half Korean was glad to think of bringing a snack to work with him today and ate quietly in the empty breakfast room. He grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the kitchen and went to do everything Allura wanted done. It only took a couple of hours, but was glad he at least got some extra time in and was clocking out at two thirty.

“Let me know when you’re done with work and hold the gate open for me, I don’t have a key to the shooting range anymore,” Keith said as he put his time card away. 

“Ok,” Allura replied before the phone began to ring. “Oh! Maybe ask Shiro if he wants to come too.” She answered the phone and waved Keith goodbye.

The half Korean nodded as an answer that he would ask Shiro and went into the basement to get his stuff. She was still on the phone and typing on the computer as Keith passed by her with a small wave, not wanting to bother her. On the way home, he stopped by the Burger Bus to grab a burger with no buns with fries, his stomach rumbling with hunger.

At home, he left Shiro a text asking him if he wanted to meet up at the shooting range after work and maybe put in some more practice with his handgun. The older man didn’t answer back for a while, but when he did, he seemed excited to do so and asked for directions. Keith gave him the directions before getting a text from Allura saying she was getting ready to leave work and to meet her at the gate. When Shiro arrived, Keith agreed that he would be the one to let his boyfriend in.

When he got there, Allura was already there and unlocking the gate, swinging it wide open for him to pass through before passing through herself and he closed the gate behind her. The snowshoe shooting range was an outdoor shooting range that was usually locked up unless you bought a key. Each year they changed the lock so you would have to spend a large sum of money to buy a new key and Keith wasn’t able to buy a new one for this year, hence why he needed Allura to wait up for him.

The place was surprisingly empty and they grabbed a metal table towards the end on the right side. Keith set up his targets and his rifle stand, excited to see what rifle she got this time. He shuddered in delight when she pulled her new rifle from its carrier. It was a black .338 Lapua Magnum rifle and it was beautiful. Keith couldn’t help but give a whistle.

“Damn, that’s a beauty,” he whispered as Allura handed the rifle to him. It was bolt action and he slipped the bolt up and back to see that it was loaded before sliding it back into place. “How’s the recoil?”

“I put a breaker on it so it shouldn’t be too bad like the .458 Lott you most likely brought.” She gave him a teasing smile and he just shrugged as if he had been caught red handed.

Keith grabbed his own rifle case from the back of the truck and set it on the table next to them, pulling out the rifle his mother had given him for his fifteenth birthday. It once belonged to her and she took good care of it so it looked new when he received it. He too took good care of it so it still looked almost as good as new. He grabbed the shoulder pad from his truck as well and wrapped it around his right shoulder. He could probably get six shots out of it before his shoulder would begin to get sore.

“Want to be the first one to try it out?” Allura asked as she set her rifle on the stand on the table, screwing the tabs tightly so it wouldn’t jerk too much.

Keith shook his head. “Nah, it’s your gun, you do it.”

She smiled happily at him and for the first time today, she looked relaxed and truly happy. She put a set of ear plugs in her ears like Keith had and sat down on the bench attached to the table, looked down the scope attached to her rifle. She took three deep, slow breaths and on the third exhale she pulled the trigger. There was hardly any recoil, but it was still exciting.

She shot a second time when Keith got a text from Shiro, saying he was at the gate. The half Korean jumped in his truck to drive down to meet him after grabbing his boss’s key and unlocked it, letting him in. After that, they went back to the first shooting range where they were set up and Shiro greeted Keith with a kiss on the lips, showing off the shiner on his cheek. Allura hadn’t even noticed that they were back thanks to the plugs in her ears so she startled when Shiro sat next to her.

“Oh, Shiro! I’m glad you could make it,” she said after taking a plug out before frowning at the bruise on his face, glaring at Keith, who looked away and tried to look innocent.

The older man smiled with a nod. “Me too. I wouldn’t miss watching Keith shoot for the world.”

“I know, he looks so good when he does it.” It was obvious she was trying to tease Keith, to which he rolled his eyes to and started to get his rifle ready; unbothered. 

Well, was until Shiro looked at the half Korean in awe, cheeks flushed and said, “Yes. He does.”   
Keith paused in loading his rifle and blushed, shrugging his shoulders up to his ears as if to hide. Allura giggled, looking quite happy.

Shiro cleared his throat, looking embarrassed as he eyed the rifle Keith was holding. “What type of gun is that?”

“This is my 458 Lott, my favorite. Meant for big, thick skinned game,” Keith replied as he held it out for Shiro to get a good look. He began to talk about what bullets and ammo he used until he remembered that Shiro pretty much knows nothing about guns and looked up to see that his boyfriend was trying to look interested in what Keith was saying, but everything had gone over his head. Shiro had never even touched a gun until he met Keith, having grown up in a family against weapons. “Sorry.”

“Its ok, I like listening to you talk about something you’re passionate about.” Shiro grinned before he eyed the rifle again. “Can I give it a try?”

Both Keith and Allura gave each other a look before the half Korean looked back to Shiro with a hesitant nod.

“Um, I guess.” Keith handed the rifle to his boyfriend, watching the other lift the bolt to check the bullets. “Do you want to use the stand and maybe borrow my shoulder pad?”

“No, I got this.” Shiro smirked and lifted the rifle to his shoulder after placing a pair of his own plugs into his ears.

Keith’s eyes widened when he saw his boyfriend’s stance wasn’t right and the butt of the stock was settled in the wrong place against his shoulder. Fuck, he was going to get hurt. Keith quickly stood up to stop his lover, but Shiro already pulled the trigger and was knocked off his feet from the recoil. Allura gasped as she watched Shiro fall flat onto his back, the rifle falling from his hands, and quickly made her way towards him right after Keith.

The two slid to the ground next to the older man as Shiro coughed, trying to sit up with a hiss. Once up, he grabbed his shoulder and held it with a look of pain.

“Are you ok?” Allura asked with a look of worry.   
“How’s the shoulder?”

“I’m ok I think. Shoulder hurts though,” the older man replied in pain. He tried moving it and hissed loudly.

“You might need to go to the hospital it seems.”  
Shiro grimaced at her words and hung his head. Looks like sighting in the rifle had to wait for another day.

“Idiot,” Keith grumbled as he helped his boyfriend to his feet.

“Keith!” Allura gasped.

“You didn’t bother to wait for me to check your stance or the position of the gun and look what happened! You didn’t even bother to wait for me to tell you about the recoil! I wouldn’t be surprised if you happened to have broken your clavicle!” Keith continued as if he hadn’t heard Allura, angry and worried for his boyfriend.

“Keith! Calm down, it was an accident,” she said, her voice rising.

“Because he was trying to show off! You can’t do that when you barely know how to handle a weapon. What if you got seriously hurt?! More than you are now?!” 

“Keith, I’m alright. Please calm down,” Shiro said calmly with a comforting smile. “I'll admit that I was being stupid, but please stop yelling.”

Keith pursed his lips and clenched his fists before letting himself slowly calm down with a few deep breaths. The anger was now replaced with full on worry and it clearly showed on his face because Shiro hugged him tightly with one arm.

“Lets go to the hospital and get my arm fixed up, ok?”

Keith nodded and brought Shiro to his truck. “Allura, can you call Lance and have him pick up Shiro’s car when he gets a chance? He should have his own key.” Yup, Lance liked to shoot too. He may not look it, but he was a pretty good shot. Better than Keith, something he hated admitting.

The woman nodded and grabbed her cell. Keith helped Shiro into his truck before packing up all his stuff, helping Allura as well. Then they were off, reaching the hospital in fifteen minutes. Luckily, the ER wasn’t packed and they were able to be seen within an hour.

Shiro explained what had happened to the older man checking him over and the doctor was not amused, not making any comments or saying anything about the bruise on Shiro’s cheek and did his job. Nothing was broken, but Shiro tore a muscle in his shoulder and sprained it pretty bad, so he would need to wear a sling for a few weeks. Something he was not happy to hear. 

Done, they left and Keith took his boyfriend back to the duplex to feed him and spend some time with him, apologizing for how he reacted.  
Lance was home late and by then, Keith and Shiro had fallen asleep on the couch, cuddled up beneath a blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please drop a Kudo and a comment. Let me know what you think. next chapter will mostly be Keith getting it on with himself and the toy.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith laid on his side, staring at his clock as he woke up from a deep sleep. He blinked his eyes blearily as he wondered what had woken him up until he felt something twitch against his leg and realized he was horny as hell. He didn’t remember his dream, but it must have been good if it got him this excited. The rhythmic creak of the bed in the room next to him didn’t help either.

It sounded like Lance was trying his best to keep quiet, but Hunk must be doing something right since the native kept letting out strangled yelps of pleasure before trying to muffle himself. Hunk’s own little moans and grunts could be heard as well and Keith bit his lip, trying to calm his libido so he could try and get a few more hours of sleep before work.

But his raging hard-on would not go down. In fact, it pulsed with every little sound coming from that room. Keith tried thinking of something gross, but nothing worked and it was beginning to hurt. With an annoyed sigh, he leaned over his bed to reach underneath to grab his lube. His hand bumped into something else, though, and he grabbed it to see what it was. He could barely see what it was thanks to the thick curtains covering his windows, but once he felt the texture and the small bumps, his eyes widened and he flushed deeply.

Keith almost dropped the toy he had forgotten he had and wondered what he should do with it. Of course his first thought was to throw it back down there out of embarrassment, but the heat in his stomach said otherwise. He chewed his lower chip, asking himself if he was really going to use it before an inner voice told him he isn’t doing anything wrong and this will be good for him. A chance to really explore himself and discover his likes and dislikes.

Lance let out a very loud choked off sob before getting reprimanded by Hunk, the half native apologizing quietly and around a moan. Keith then heard Lance tell Hunk that he felt so good inside him. The half Korean let out an annoyed groan as he grimaced, but couldn’t help but he turned on by his roommates. While this wasn’t the first time he’s heard them get it on, it was a first listening to them while having a hard on. And the urgent need to get off was getting stronger.

With a sigh, Keith pored a glob of lube into his right hand and smeared it over his dick, making him hiss at the heat closing around him. It’s been a while since he last masturbated and it felt like he was already on the edge of orgasming that he might not actually need the dildo. His left hand sat at the base of his prick, not wrapped around it just nestled against it with fingers splayed out, while his right went to work of bringing himself off.

Keith had to bite his lip to keep himself silent, but he felt so sensitive right now that he accidentally gasped when his thumb rubbed over the tip. He turned his head to the side as far as it could and bit into the pillow to quiet himself. It didn’t take long before he was coming all over his hand, a few spurts going as far as his chest, and moaned into his pillow.

Sorry dildo, maybe another day, Keith thought to himself as he grabbed a dirty shirt from the floor to clean himself off and put the toy back under his bed. 

He rolled onto his side and pulled the blanket back over himself, curling beneath it and ready to fall back to sleep when he felt himself slowly becoming hard again. Whatever libido he had thought had quelled was back and found that disgusting thoughts still did not work. He cursed and kicked the blankets off of him again, reaching for the toy. The lube had lain forgotten on the unoccupied side of the bed and he reached over to grab it and slicked the dildo with it.

He turned it on and jumped at how loud the vibrating whir sounded to his ears before quickly shutting it off. Keith listened intently and heard his two roomies still going at it, seeming as if they hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary. With a sigh of relief, he turned it back on and hesitantly pressed it against his hardened dick. He jumped again at he pleasure that shot through him and had to bite into his free hand to muffle a cry. 

Fuck did this feel good. He had to grab the shirt he used before and stuff it in his mouth to keep himself quiet. Course he got a mouthful of shirt covered in come, but he didn’t care at this point. He moved the toy along his prick, his body downright spasming when it ran over the head, and used his free hand to feel along his body. He hadn’t done that in, well, ever. 

Like he told Shiro, he only masturbated just to get off and get off quickly to take away the edge and keep himself sane. But now, he was wondering why he hadn’t done this sooner. His hand made up a path from his thigh, over his stomach, up his chest, and to his neck where he felt his pulse racing. He slid that hand back down to pause at his left nipple, biting down on the cloth at how the small gesture felt so incredibly good. Keith threw his head back against the pillow and allowed his mind to come up with whatever fantasy it wanted. Shiro was the first thing that popped up.

He could imagine Shiro kneeling over him with a sensual smirk, his hand vibrating over him (it was a fantasy, don’t judge him) and the older man was the one bringing him so much pleasure. If he wasn’t so far gone, he would have felt embarrassed, but he could care less now.   
Especially when he moved the toy down to press against his balls, toying with them.

His thumb flicked over the nipple now and he was glad for the cloth in his mouth with how noisy he was becoming. His moved to the other nipple and gave it the same ministrations he had given the other while he played with his balls. He breathed heavily through his nose as he imagined his boyfriend sitting between his legs, messing with him and playing with him. Sucking him down to the base and fingering him open. It was amazing how vivid the fantasy seemed and Keith never felt so turned on before.

He moved the wet head of the dildo to his hole and let out a stuttering gasp muffled by the shirt. His hole twitched and he groaned at how amazing this felt. He was so close to coming again, but he needed something more. Something… ah! Fuck, yes! Keith pushed the toy inside his entrance, at first hissing at the sting before moaning quite loudly as the dildo vibrated inside him, the sound muffled. He pushed more of it in and groaned, prick twitching.

Keith let the toy sit a moment and relished in the feeling of it inside him. He then remembered that it had a knob at the base that he could turn to up the vibrations and fuck did he want to do that. So turned it he did and nothing stopped him from his mouth dropping open, the cloth falling from his mouth, and letting out a long drawn out whine as his body shook. The head of the toy was pressed right against his prostate and the intensity of the vibration was out of this world.

He sat there, letting out all sorts of noises and not bothering to keep it down as his toes curled. His eyes had crossed before they rolled up into his head as they closed and a wide open grin spread across his face as he no longer cared that his roommates could hear him. At that moment, he forgot he even had roommates, he was so far gone. Then he began moving the toy and a whole new set of sensations flew throughout his body. He finally let loose and let himself go.

His free hand flew down to his dick and began rubbing it tightly at a maddening pace, that feeling of orgasming right there but not quite reaching it. He began muttering Shiro’s name and telling him how much he wanted him, moaning and gasping for him. Spit had began to spill over the corner of his mouth and drip down his cheek to his neck as the rest of his body beaded with sweat, especially between his legs.

The half Korean thrust the dildo deeply in and spread his legs, imaging Shiro was there and taking him with his magic vibrating dick. “Fuck, yes, Shiro! There! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh my god, yes…” He knew he’ll be embarrassed about this later, mouthing off things like this, but he was too much in the moment to really think at all right now.

And finally, with one last thrust and holding it there, he came with a choked off yell. So much came out, but it didn’t shoot out quite as far this time. It still covered his stomach though. He panted heavily and quickly turned off the toy as he started to become oversensitive, pulling it out and throwing to the side of the bed along with the lube. He grabbed the shirt and wiped himself off the best he could before throwing it back down onto the floor.

As he waited to catch his breath before pulling the blankets over him again, he suddenly heard slow clapping coming from the other room. Keith’s eyes widened when he realized that he had been caught and had stopped being so cautious with his voice a while back. Keith didn’t say anything, too embarrassed, as Hunk whispered out warnings to Lance, who was the one clapping.

Keith pulled his blanket up to his chin and laid there, staring wide eyed up at the ceiling, hoping a hole would open up beneath him and devour him. But after coming twice and hard, he did eventually fall asleep. Only to wake up a few hours later by the annoying sound of the alarm on his phone.

Keith dismissed it and stretched with a yawn and a groan. He kicked the blankets off and sat up, rubbing his eyes before stretching his arms over his head. There was still some dried come on his stomach and decided a quick shower would be in order for this morning. He grabbed a pair of blue, lacy underwear that had a small bow on the front of the elastic band, a plain woman’s gray long sleeve shirt with a deep v-neck, and his uniform scrubs before heading to the shower.

Luckily he didn’t run into either Lance or Hunk on his way to the bathroom. He was quick and got dressed before heading out to have something to eat, drink a cup of coffee, and make something to bring with him for lunch. But he froze once he reached the kitchen and saw both his roommates standing there, whispering to each other before they noticed him. Keith’s heart dropped to his stomach when he saw a smirk morph on Lance’s face along with a teasing glint in his eyes. Hunk had blushed deeply upon seeing Keith and couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Had quite the fun night, huh?” Lance teased.

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled as he went to go make a cup of coffee, squeezing past them to grab a mug and the tin of grounds.

“Dude, I don’t think I have ever heard you before when you played with yourself. I was beginning to think you didn’t jerk off at all, that would explain a whole lot of things.”

“Lance, could we please not talk about this,” Hunk begged as he turned a few sausage links, his face a deep red now and eyes wide as he stared down at the pan.

But Lance ignored him. “I almost thought Shiro had snuck in before we heard the dildo.”

“Lance, please, shut up before I punch you,” Keith growled quietly. He tried wishing the coffee machine to hurry up and fill his cup faster, wondering why they got a Keurig instead of a simple one with a coffee pot.

“That toy must be pretty amazing if it could make you sound like that and so loud.”

“Lance, shut up!” Keith whirled on the half native and glared angrily, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Lance brought his hands up in a calming manner and frowned slightly. “Ok, geez. I’m just teasing. There’s no shame in being loud while playing with yourself.”

“To you, maybe. But have you forgotten what kind of person I am? I don’t like sharing something personal as that to other people, even with my friends. Unless I need advice.” Keith took his cup and sipped at it, about to leave. “And you guys hearing that…”

“So how was it?” Lance interrupted.

The half Korean turned and furrowed his eyebrows. “Huh?”

“The toy, how was it?” Lance didn’t look like he was trying to tease him and actually looked quite curious.

“… good. Very good,” Keith answered shyly as he scratched behind his ear.

“Can I borrow it sometime?”

“You want to use a used dildo on yourself?”

Lance shrugged and picked a piece of lint off the sleeve of his T-shirt. “I do know you and because of that, I know you don’t have any STDs and you’ll be cleaning that dildo until it’s immaculate.”

“What makes you think I want your dirty hands all over my toy?” Keith lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t care how much you washed it, I’m not going to use it again after you do.”

The half native whined. “Come on man! I’m clean and I’ll even bleach it when I’m done with it.”

Keith crossed his arms and smirked, suddenly feeling empowered. It wasn’t often he got to hold something over Lance and he was going to drag it out as much as possible. “Its you Lance, how clean can you be?”

Hunk was hunkered over the stove, trying not to get involved with the conversation. He almost looked like he was about to start blowing steam from his ears with how red he was becoming.

Lance glared and crossed his own arms. “You know me too so you know how particular I am when it comes to cleanliness. You’re just being an ass.”

Keith shrugged. “Takes one to know one.” He chuckled at the other’s small temper tantrum before finally giving in. “You can use it as long as you put a condom on it.”

Lance smiled widely and clapped his hands excitedly, looking like a child that was offered a lollypop. “I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

Keith rolled his eyes and turned away to walk towards his bedroom, finding the dildo on his bed. He grabbed it and went back to the kitchen, put his mug down to wash his toy before handing it to Lance, who grabbed it with a look of awe.

“This is the good expensive shit. How the fuck did you get your hands on something like this?”

“Pidge gave it to me.”

The half native’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “How the hell did she get it?”

“A guest at the hotel left it and never asked for it back, so Pidge gave it to me after the thirty day mark passed. It wasn’t even out of the box yet,” Keith answered.

“That’s some awesome luck.” 

“Are you guys done talking? ‘Cause I’m done listening to you guys talk,” Hunk butted in before anyone else could say anything.

Keith smiled apologetically at the large man and nodded. “Yeah, we’re done.” He gave Lance a narrowed eyed look while the other a had look of fake innocence. 

The large man let out a loud breath of gratitude and handed Keith a plate of sausage and Sunnyside eggs. “I also made you a lunch too.”

The half Korean smiled widely in relief. “Thank you, Hunk.”

Hunk returned the smile.

Keith ate, slipped on his socks and shoes, grabbed a light jacket, and grabbed the lunch Hunk set on the counter for him. He climbed into his truck and drove to work. Allura greeted him with a bright smile and bid him good morning. He returned it and grabbed the list from her, seeing it was going to be an easy day.

…

He was almost done with his list of the second floor when he received a text from Shiro. He smiled gently upon seeing his boyfriend’s name and unlocked his phone to see what the older man had sent. His smile dropped when he read,

*Think you’re ready to move in now?* 

A video was attached to it and Keith tapped on it. He blushed when his moaning voice echoed from the speakers, the camera pointed at a wall. He quickly exited out of it and choked on a breath as anger began filling him. Fucking Lance! Keith knew it had to be him and quickly sent the half native a very angry text, cursing the other out. He then sent Shiro, 

*I think I’m ready to move in*

The older man didn’t take long to reply. *Really? When?*

*I can start packing up today and maybe move in over the weekend. I could also borrow a trailer if need be*

*Ok! I’ll help out. We probably won’t need a trailer unless you have a lot of stuff*

*I would like to say I don’t, but I kinda do. So I’ll ask Iverson if I can borrow his*

*Ok!* *Are you busy tonight?*

*Nope. What do you have in mind?*

*Well, my boss invited out some of his employees (ones that could make it) to dinner tonight in celebration for something. I don’t remember. But I was hoping you would like to come out with me*

Keith lifted an eyebrow as he leaned against the cart. *As a buffer between you and your work buddies*

*I wouldn’t call them my buddies*

The half Korean frowned. Shiro must still be having problems with the other workers. *I’ll be there.*

*Thanks. And… that video… it was hot as hell. I can’t wait to actually be there when you call out my name*

Keith blushed as his eyes widened before Shiro sent a picture. He was standing in front of the bathroom mirror and took a picture of his naked upper half. If he was in an anime right now, blood would be spurting from his nose. Keith felt like he should get back at him and walked into the empty stay he had just finished, stood in front of the mirror and pulled his shirt up and under his chin to hold it up before pulling down the waist of his scrub pants to give a teasing view of his underwear. He took a picture and sent it before he could change his mind. 

Keith giggled when Shiro sent a blushing emoji in return. A door opened down the hallway and he quickly shoved his phone into his shirt’s pocket, leaving the room and shutting the door. He glanced down the hall towards the exit to see someone walking out with a pack of cigarettes. It was one of the day sleepers and nobody had been able to get in there for almost a week now. Keith made his way to the door and saw the DND sign still on the door. He sighed and decided to stand there and wait until the man came back. He didn’t have anymore stays and only a few checkouts left, another housekeeper was cleaning the first floor.

He didn’t have to wait long before the guest came back in and pulled out his key card when he noticed Keith standing there.

“Good afternoon sir, would you like your room cleaned?” the half Korean asked with a polite smile.

The man stared at Keith for a moment before realizing what the housekeeper just said, still half asleep. “Oh, yeah, sure.” He slipped the card inside the slot of above the handle and opened the door for Keith. “Excuse the mess.”

Keith wanted to ask, what mess, because the room looked exactly the same since it was given to the man other than the ruffled bed, the suit case on the other bed, and a towel hung up in the bathroom. Keith mentally sighed in relief and pulled on a new set of gloves, grabbed a few cleaning rags, and began cleaning the room. He took the towel and replaced it with a clean one, restocked the soaps, bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and made sure there were enough plastic and styrofoam cups.

The man had laid back down on his bed so Keith left that alone and felt the other’s eyes on him as he hustled about the room. It was then he realized the most important rule when cleaning a stay that still had the guest inside and wished he had gone down to ask for the other housekeepers’ help. He quickly finished and was about to leave when the man called out for him.

Keith immediately put his guard up and tensed as the guest reached into the nightstand between the two beds and pulled out his wallet. The man stood up as he pulled out a couple of bills before he handed them to Keith. The half Korean took them and his eyes widened when he saw two fifties.

“Um, sir, I think you accidentally gave me too much,” Keith said as he went to give the money back.

The guest waved it away as he went to go lay back down. “Ah, I’ve been in the cleaning business before back when I was in college so I know what it’s like. The tipping isn’t all that great when you are tipped. Take the money and buy your girl something nice."

Keith blinked in shock before giving the guest a grin in gratitude. “Thank you sir. Have a good rest of the day.”

The man grunted and slipped back underneath the covers.

Keith beamed as he closed the door behind him and pushed the cart down the hallway towards the stairs to finish the checkouts. The two fifties were shoved in his pocket, one of which would be going to the other worker. He could keep his mouth shut and keep the money for himself, he did clean the room himself, but that felt wrong and wasn’t fair. Like the man said, the tipping was terrible and when they were, it was usually with loose change the guest didn’t want to carry around.

Keith finished the checkouts, emptied the cart, and pushed it back into the storage room. He dragged both laundry bag and trash bag down the stairs, seeing that the other worker, Nicole he thought her name was, was clocking out. He stopped her and handed a fifty to the young girl, surely making her day as her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face. She thanked him and left with a bounce in her step.

“That was sweet of you,” Allura commented after the girl left. “You could have kept all that money to yourself.”

Keith shrugged with a grimace. “I could have, but it wouldn’t have been fair and it just felt wrong to do that.”

“You’re very selfless, Keith.”

The half Korean let out a snort as he grabbed his card to clock out. “Trust me, I’m not. I just have better morals than most people.”

“Don’t sell yourself so short,” the woman scoffed. “You are probably the kindest person I have ever met and have the pleasure of working with. Whatever problems you have, you leave it at home and keep up a polite attitude no matter how awful the guests are.”

Keith felt pride well up inside him at her words and grinned shyly towards her. “Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.”

She giggled. “Thank you. Now I’m sure there are other places you would rather be.”

“Actually, I do need to find something appropriate for dinner tonight. Shiro asked me to be a buffer between him and his work employees.” Keith gave a slight grimace, joking around that it might not be such a good idea. And it probably wouldn’t, but Keith would support his boyfriend in anyway he can.

“Ooh, how fun. What are you thinking of wearing?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. I might stop by Walmart and buy a couple of those cute flannel shirts I saw in the woman’s clothing section. The last time I was there they had this very soft, pretty blue one.”

Allura’s eyes widened and Keith realized he had never once told her about his desire in wearing women’s clothing. He assumed she knew, but how could she when whatever shirts he wore was hidden beneath his scrubs. He scratched the back of his head just as an elderly man walked in, pulling a suitcase behind him.

“Well now I have someone to help me when it comes to fashion,” she teased harmlessly and winked, not at all bothered by his likes. “I'll see you Monday. Have a good weekend.”

He nodded as she turned her attention to the new guest. He went down into the basement to grab his things and left, using the back roads and an abandoned Low's parking lot to get to Walmart. He ended up buying several shirts and a pair of skinny jeans that had a high waist with three buttons; super adorable. He was heading to the self check out when he ran into a familiar face.

“Hey Pidge.”

Said girl jumped and looked over her shoulder, standing in front of a mini fridge at a closed checkout lane. She brightened and straightened up, arms full of snacks.

“Hey Keith! Short day?” 

He nodded as she grabbed a drink from the fridge and followed her to self checkout. “Figured I waste some time before going home, treat myself.”

“Speaking of treating yourself,” she paused as a glint of something shined in her eyes, making Keith worry. “You finally used it.”

He groaned and cursed Lance beneath his breath. “Lance sent a video, didn’t he?”

The short girl nodded as she began ringing her things up. “Oh my god, that had to be the hottest thing I have ever heard.”

Keith covered his face with a free hand and sighed.

“He also told me he sent it to Shiro. Bet he’s excited now.”

“Oh my god, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He went over to another check out and began ringing himself out, hoping Pidge would leave him alone. But his hopes were crushed when she followed after him after paying for her snacks.

“Got a big date tonight?” she asked as she watched him fold the clothes and put them in plastic bags.

“Just being a buffer between Shiro and his work buddies.” He paid for his stuff and made his way back outside, Pidge followed.

“Sounds like fun.”

Keith groaned as a reply. The feeling that tonight wasn’t going to end well grew and he was starting to become jittery and tense. “I doubt it. From the way Shiro talks about them, it’ll be far from fun.”

Pidge hummed as she walked beside him, backpack slung over a shoulder with her treats. “Guess you gotta be the life of the party.”

He gave her a look that she ignored.

“Well Matt’s waiting for me, so I better go before he calls for a search party.”

“Tell him I said hi.”

“Ok, bye.” She slipped away as he reached his truck.

He shook his head she jumped in her old slugbug, remembering she had that since high school. Apparently it used to be Matt’s before he bought another car and have the bug to her for her sixteenth birthday and as a graduation present. When Keith was in his last year of high school, Pidge was in here junior year despite being fifteen and they just clicked. They were both outcasts and found each other drawn together and stayed close even after Keith graduated. It was awesome when they winded up working together. 

Keith got in and drove the short ride home. Shiro had texted him while he was driving and waited to read it until he got back to the duplex. He toed off his shoes and slid off his jacket before falling onto the couch with his phone. Shiro gave him the place and time of the dinner party, something the older man had forgotten to give and Keith had forgotten to ask after getting distracted cleaning that guest’s room. St. Elias at six. Ok he could do that.

*Want to meet up there or are you picking me up?* Keith asked.

*Picking you up*

*Ok. See you then*

Keith tossed his phone aside and turned on the TV, he had a few hours before he needed to get ready.

…

Keith checked himself over for what must have been the tenth time, nervous about the dinner. He had slipped into his new skinny jeans, after washing and drying them of course, with the new flannel shirt he had gotten tucked into his pants. He left a few buttons undone, showing off his neck and collar bone. He slipped on a pair of dark brown biker boots that cut off at his calves and pulled his hair back into a short ponytail, the shorter strands falling around his face. To top it off, he wore his favorite black leather jacket that used to be his mom’s and it hugged his body perfectly.

There was a knock on the door that Lance answered and Keith left his room to walk down the short hallway to the door and blushed when his eyes caught Shiro’s. Lance, who was still standing there, looked over his shoulder and his eyebrows rose high up his forehead.

“Damn,” the half native said in appreciation, eyeing Keith up and down.

“You look amazing,” Shiro said and smiled brightly at the half Korean.

Keith's cheeks flushed as he stared up at his boyfriend shyly. “Thanks, you look good too.” The older man was wearing a simple pair of jeans, a black Under Armor long sleeve shirt that clung to his body and an unzipped black jacket with a pair of black steel toed boots. “You really like black, huh?”

“Oh, I was unsure on what to wear and I’ve been told black always looked great on me so I went the safe route,” Shiro replied as he looked down at himself. “But you certainly know how to put yourself together.”

Lance made a gagging sound from where he stood from the side, still by the door. “Ugh, all this sweetness is going to rot my teeth. Just go already and save it for the car ride there.”

“Shut up, Lance,” was Keith’s usual reply.   
“Besides, with how fairly white your teeth are, they might not even be real.”

The half native scoffed and crossed his arms. “At least mine don’t look like yours.”

“You mean like a normal person’s?” Keith’s teeth may not have that sparkling white color like Lance’s, but at least they weren’t yellow. They may even be a little crowded, pushing his upper canines out and making them look larger than normal, but he still had a great smile as people would like to tell him. Unlike Lance who had braces as a teenager. He probably didn’t even need them, but his need to look absolutely perfect pushed him to them.

“Whatever,” Lance grumbled and walked away.

“Shall we go?” Shiro asked while Keith snickered at Lance’s now bad attitude.

“Yeah,” the half Korean replied while still snickering.

They got into Shiro’s black four-wheel drive, eighties Chevy suburban. While it wasn’t the greatest looking vehicle and was a gas hog, it would keep him safe on the roads and protect him if he ever hit a moose or caribou. Shiro quite liked all the room it had and often said something about camping out in it next summer if given the chance.

Keith would roll his eyes with a scoff and mumble something along the lines of that isn’t real camping. To him, camping is hiking out to the middle of nowhere with a thirty to forty pound pack, setting up a tent, and falling asleep to sounds of nighttime wildlife. He hadn’t done that in so long, he had no one who was willing or able to go out with him. But maybe that will all change now with Shiro in his life.

The twenty minute drive to Soldotna was made in comfortable silence as they held hands the entire time. Passing by Fred Meyer’s and up a hill, they turned down a road and took an immediate right into the restaurant’s driveway. It was packed and Keith felt his heart pick up as he cringed. The loud noise and people closely packed together made him shudder as he started to feel uncomfortable before they even reached the doors. Sure enough, as soon as the doors opened, noise assaulted them and Keith had to take a deep breath to keep from the running.

“They’re already here. Out on the patio,” Shiro said as he looked down at his phone.

Keith led him through the building towards the door in the back, stepping out in a fenced in patio. Shiro spotted his fellow workers and made his way towards them, never taking his hand away from Keith’s. It was a group of five men sitting around two tables pushed together, four of them looked at least ten to fifteen years older than Shiro while the fifth member looked more Shiro’s age.

“There he is!” one of the older men exclaimed as soon as he spotted Shiro, a little overweight and clean shaven.

The rest of the group looked over, most with disdain or disappointment. It was obvious that none of them except for one, the one that spoke to them first, wanted Keith’s boyfriend there. Especially the younger one, he looked like he downright hated Shiro.

“And who’s your friend?” the man asked, smiling kindly while the others looked like they could care less.

“This is the love of my life, Keith,” Shiro replied proudly and wrapped his arm around the half Korean’s waist, making Keith’s hear skip.

Now he had everyone’s attention and Keith swallowed at the predatory look they were giving him. He was afraid on what they might do or say, something that might get Shiro pissed and probably fired. Room was made for them and he and Shiro sat between the kind man and the younger one, Keith sitting next to the latter. He immediately felt the hairs on his neck stand up and he tensed in case of needing to defend himself.

“I had no idea Shiro here was a homo,” another man said with a sneer, face covered in a thick gray beard.

Keith mentally rolled his eyes while his boyfriend continued to smile as if the comment didn’t bother him. And it probably didn’t, the older man was better at letting things like this just slide off of him while Keith would use all control not to beat their face in.

“Yup, I’m as gay as rainbow. Always have been,” Shiro said as he shrugged off the animosity. 

It became tense and awkward around the tables after that. Their waiter came, got their orders, and left. They laughed about his allergy to wheat, not believing that he wasn’t gluten intolerant, playing it off as a joke whenever they saw his brows start to furrow. And it didn’t stop there. The four men made small degrading comments towards Shiro, saying they were just teasing. The overweight man, who Keith found out was his boyfriend’s boss, while not exactly against it, tried to calm his employees down. It would work for a short while before they were back at it, trying to pick at him and Shiro.

At one point when their food came, they started talking about hunting, obviously trying to look tough in front of Keith while they really sounded like a bunch of idiots since they had no idea what they were talking about. They started talking about sports hunting and Keith shook his head that no one noticed but Shiro. The older man gave his young boyfriend a look that said not to cause a scene and Keith tried his hardest not to.

“I bet you never touched a gun in your life, huh girlyman?”

Shiro’s hand slapped against his forehead as Keith slowly turned his head to stare blankly at the oldest man there who had a very thick and ugly mustache and a balding head. There was no patience left in the half Korean and Shiro knew that, hence the face palming. There was nothing the older man could do to dissuade the situation that was about to unleash.

But… Shiro didn’t deserve that, especially in front of people who could very well get him fired. Instead, Keith named his favorite TV shows in chronological order while taking a deep breath, giving the ugly mustache man a tight smile. Shiro peeked from behind his hand when no explosion or insults occurred and stared at his boyfriend in surprise.

“Actually, I have held lots of guns Nathan,” Keith gritted out. “And rifles too. My favorite would be the 458 Lott because of it’s power, but it still takes several shots from that to take down a grizzly, I’ll say.” Keith suddenly takes out his phone and messes around with it before shoving the screen into ugly mustache man’s face. “I was eighteen when I shot that bear and damn did it have some good meat. It’s paws were bigger than the size of dinner plates.” 

It was the picture Iverson took when he took him hunting for the first time. The grizzly was a whopping nine hundred and twenty pounds. He still had its’ skull sitting up on a shelf in his room while the fur he gave to Iverson before moving out once Lance asked him to be his roommate as a thank you for everything. When he shot that bear, it was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. Iverson had never felt so proud.

Keith slipped over to a new picture of him a mountain goat, its’ long white hair hiding most of his body as he sat behind it to hold its head up. “And this one I used my 30-06 Springfield, bolt action riffle. Man… me, my guardian, and his friends had to hike a long ways into the mountains while carrying thirty pound packs through the rain to get to these goats. And this sucker started to roll down the mountain after I shot it. I didn’t like the meat as much, but the heart’s pretty good eating.”

The group had gone quite as Keith began to brag and tell stories of all his hunting expeditions. Showing a few pictures of him gutting and skinning a moose, making a few faces grimace and turn green. Shiro was the only one who smiled while Keith talked and actually looked interested even though he didn’t understand half of what his boyfriend said when he started talking about gun powder, bullets, and reloading. The rest didn’t either and the younger worker of the group started looking some of this stuff up. By the look on his face, Keith knew what he was talking about and proving he was actually pretty badass.

The half Korean talked throughout the rest of the meal, not letting anyone have a word in edgewise. And when one of the older men tried to argue about something gun related, Keith would shut them down, being the more knowledgeable one tonight. Then when it went on to mechanics, Shiro picked up the rest of the conversation, proving he too was more knowledgeable than his fellow employees. His boss actually looked quite impressed between the two and seemed to actually enjoy their company while the rest looked threatened. Twenty minutes passed after they finished their meal before Keith decided it was time to go. 

“Well I think it’s time for us to go. It’s starting to get a bit chilly and I don’t have the right coat for that. Good evening gentlemen; we’ll pay for our bill at the door,” Keith said as he stood up, a gust of wind blowing through his hair.

“Let me get the bill,” bossman replied with a grin. “I'm the one who asked you to join. And your stories were entertaining.”

“That’s very kind of you, thank you,” Keith quickly said before Shiro could open his mouth. “You know, you’re very lucky to have Shiro on your team, he really is quite good at what he does and is a team player. Sometimes he’s too kind for his own good.” He ignored the look his boyfriend was giving him and smiled politely at the group.

The boss looked unsure on how to respond to that while the others didn’t look too happy about it. They left and had gotten out to the parking lot when the young man from the working group, Todd if Keith remembered correctly, caught up with them and looked very upset. He stopped a few feet from them and called out to them.

“Hey! You stop right there you bastards!” Todd yelled, pointing his finger at them angrily.

Shiro and Keith turned around and the half Korean knew this night wasn’t going to end well.

“How dare you treat me and my friends like fools!”

“We did no such thing,” Keith replied in a grumble, looking unimpressed with the other’s theatrics. “All I did was prove I use guns and enjoy hunting while Shiro talked about work. If anything, you’re the ones who made yourselves look foolish with your homophobic comments, snide remarks, and jokes that prove you’re threatened by Shiro. So if you want to blame someone, blame yourself.”

The couple turned back around to head towards the suburban when Keith’s shoulder was suddenly grabbed and he was forcibly turned around before he found himself on the ground with a painful cheek. Shiro knelt down next to him with a worried look before looking back towards Todd with a look of pure rage.

“What hell is your problem?!” the older man yelled, making the other take a step back in surprise at the intensity in Shiro’s voice.

Keith quickly grabbed his boyfriend’s arm and shook his head as he stood up. “Don’t worry about it, Shiro. He just proved he really is just a homophobic asshole and in denial of being jealous of you.” Keith nodded towards the windows of the building and towards the patio; people had seen what had happened, one even recording it.

Realizing that he had been caught, Todd tried to play it off as if they were playing a game and that there was no harm done. But Keith wouldn’t have it and decked the guy hard. Todd crumbled to the ground and held his jaw, looking up at the half Korean in surprise.

“I hope you don’t go running off to your boss and lie on what really happened here tonight. He did see the whole thing.” Keith pointed towards the patio where the boss was standing at the fence, having indeed seen the whole thing.

Todd paled in realization that he was screwed and Keith grabbed Shiro’s hand to lead him to the truck. Nothing was said until they were out on the highway and the tension set in their shoulders eased. Keith let out a groan as he covered his face.

“I think I just got you fired tonight,” the younger man said, muffled by his hands.

Shiro chuckled and set a hand on Keith’s knee, squeezing it. “I don’t believe so. You pretty much proved to my boss all that I’ve been telling him about his employees.”

Keith removed his hands from his face and looked over to his boyfriend in relief. “Really?”

“Mhm. Boris isn’t a bad man and tries to treat his workers fairly, but he was in denial that anyone one of his employees would treat another employee in such a way, especially when they acted like the perfect team when he was around. After tonight, I think he finally believes me.” He gives Keith a bright smile.

Keith returned the smile and slid closer so he could lay his head on the older man’s shoulder, thankful for the bench style seats. It was quiet other than the radio playing the rest of the way home. Shiro dropped Keith off at the duplex and said he would come over tomorrow to help start packing and moving. The younger man blushed when he admitted he hadn’t done any packing today and Shiro chuckled, telling him it was alright.

Keith leaned in to give Shiro a kiss goodbye that soon turned into a heavy make out session. They eventually pulled when things got too exciting and Shiro wanted to wait until Keith had moved in with him, making it more special. With one last kiss, Keith exited the vehicle and walked inside with a bounce to his step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment or Kudo, show your appreciation.


	5. Chapter 5

It was early when Keith woke up, too excited and nervous to have a full night’s sleep. He knew it was early because it was still dark out; the long daylight hours slowly fading into shorter ones. By the time December hits, there’ll only be a few hours of daylight before it gets dark again. It was four in the morning and he found himself wide awake, staring at his ceiling in the darkness as he contemplated on whether it was a good time to get up and start packing.

His attempt at trying to fall back asleep was futile and decided that yes, now would be a perfect time to start packing. What else was he going to do other than fuck around on his phone until Shiro calls/texts him? He could at least be productive as he waits as well as pass time until Iverson was awake so he could go get the trailer. It was a good thing Iverson was a creature of habit and Keith knew his schedule like the back of his hand. He would give the older man an hour to have his coffee, eat, and dress before Keith bothered him. So he had three hours to spare for now.

The half Korean decided to stay in his long night shirt and cheeky underwear as he started to pack up his clothes first, keeping some aside for later. He had pulled several large suitcases from the top shelf of his closet and folded his clothes neatly inside, trying to keep quiet since Lance and Hunk were still sleeping. Hunk would be up soon though to get ready to leave for work and Keith realized that moving in with Shiro today probably wasn’t a good idea. With him leaving and Hunk being gone for a week, Lance would be by himself.

It would only be week, but Lance craved human contact and socialization all the time. He liked being around people unlike Keith who would rather avoid them. It was a reason Lance liked his job so much because he got to socialize with his costumers while he permanently colored their skin. While some costumers weren’t talkative, they surprisingly didn’t mind Lance’s babbling. But if they ever showed annoyance, Lance knew when to shut up. It was why people wanted him to tattoo them up other than his creative art.

Keith paused in his packing, frowning as he thought about Lance all alone for a week. But he mentally shook his head to get rid of it. Lance would be fine. He had many friends he could hang out with and Keith knew Shiro would open his door for him any time. The half Korean continued in his packing and soon found his clothes all packed. He had to really stuff his clothes tightly in the last suitcase since it was the last one and sat on it so he could zip it close.

An hour passed and Keith heard the other bedroom’s door open before closing softly. Footsteps muffled by the carpet passed by his door and entered the bathroom, the door creaking as it closed. Few minutes later, it opened again and the person who was up continued down the hallway and out into the kitchen. Hunk was up. Keith paused in collecting his books off the shelf and exited his room to go greet the larger man, maybe help in making breakfast.

He entered the kitchen and saw Hunk leaning against the counter as he waited for his coffee, yawning widely. The bigger man blearily looked up when he noticed the other’s presence and smiled tiredly. Keith returned it with a small one of his own and grabbed a mug to make himself a cup once Hunk was done.

“Good morning,” Hunk mumbled around another yawn as the coffee maker beeped that it was done.

“Good morning,” Keith replied back quietly. He shuffled in close so he could set his cup in the Keurig and pick a k-cup as soon as Hunk moved away.

“How long have you been up? You don’t look like you just got up.” Hunk grabbed a few things from the fridge and cabinets, ingredients to make pancakes using almond flour.

“Four. Too excited to sleep.”

“Ah, right, moving in with Shiro today, right?”

“Yeah… Lance-“

“Lance will be fine,” Hunk quickly interrupted, something he didn’t usually do. “You may be moving out, but it’s not the end of your friendship. Sure, you two won’t see each other like you used to, but you’ll still see each other nonetheless. And I know you and Shiro will be more than happy to keep the door open for him whenever.”

Keith nodded and gave a smile of gratitude. “Yeah. Thanks, Hunk.”

“Yup. Want some blueberries in your pancakes?”

The half Korean let out a snort, chuckling as the large man held up a plastic box of store bought blueberries. Yuck. Fresh was the only way he went. “No. But maybe a few banana slices would be nice.”

Hunk nodded and went about making breakfast.

“Need some help?” Keith asked as he took his mug.

“Nah, I got it. You continue packing and don’t worry about being quiet anymore, maybe you’ll wake Lance up before I leave.”

Keith laughed as he walked back to his room. If there was one thing you didn’t do, it was wake up Lance before he was ready. But maybe he’ll let this slide once he sees the boxes littering Keith’s room. The half Korean went down into the crawlspace to collect a few folded up boxes before heading back to his room with a roll of duct tape. He opened the boxes and taped them up, stacking his many books into them. Before long, he paused long enough to eat and call Iverson about the trailer.

Keith finished packing his books before he got dressed and left for his old guardian’s house to hook up the trailer to his truck. Iverson had gotten the flatbed trailer ready for him before he arrived and was glad for it since Iverson didn’t appear to be home. Odd. The half Korean hooked up the trailer and texted Iverson a thank you before going back home, backing up the trailer to the door as close as he could. That done, he texted Shiro if he was awake yet and went back to work. 

Hunk had finished his own packing and was sitting on the couch with his duffle bag sitting at his feet. His saw Lance’s bedroom door was open and Keith could hear some shuffling come from within, meaning Lance was awake and getting dressed so he could take Hunk to the airport. Lance exited the room, looking quite tired and his hair was a mess. He slipped on a beanie to cover it. He looked annoyed, more so than usual, when he looked at Keith and said nothing as he passed by him to the door.

The half Korean knew the reason for the attitude and didn’t blame him for it, but he would not leave this duplex with Lance still angry at him. He said goodbye to Hunk, who gave him a tight hug, and went back to finish packing his stuff. During the time in the truck, Shiro had had sent him a reply that he was indeed awake and waiting for Keith’s ok to come over. The half Korean gave the go ahead before he started to place some boxes in the back seat of his truck. He would have put them on the trailer, but it had begun to rain. The once very hot summer was finally disappearing to make way for cooler months.

He had just finished one side of his room, the more cluttered side, when Shiro showed up with a smoothie topped with whipped cream for Keith and a very bitter coffee for himself. Keith thanked him and gave him a peck on the lips as he let the older man inside. 

“You got pretty far by yourself, haven’t you?” Shiro stated as he stepped foot inside the half Korean’s room for the first time… no wait, second time. Whenever Shiro came over, they spent most of their time in the living room watching movies or Lance playing video games. “How long have you been going at this?”

“Since four. Couldn’t sleep,” Keith replied as he gave his boyfriend the duct tape to fix up another box. He looked up at the other smiled shyly. “I was too excited.”

Shiro returned it and gave Keith another kiss. “Me too. Excited I mean. I made some space for your stuff in the bedroom. Our bedroom. But I don’t know if it’ll enough.” He gave the Asian a teasing grin.

Keith rolled his eyes as he began to fill the newly made box with all his little knickknacks, including his bear skull, goat horns, and ammo. All his handguns and rifles he had packed away into their traveling carriers, freeing up the wooden gun safe to make it easier to carry. He knew he had a lot of stuff, but most of this was going to be put into the small loft in the garage and in the guest bedroom. Or maybe he’ll sell some of it.

It was close to two by the time they had everything packed up and tied down on the trailer with a tarp covering it to protect it from the rain. Lance had come and gone again for an appointment, not coming back for another two hours. By then, everything was done and Keith vacuumed the room as well as spackle (he used toothpaste) any holes left behind from posters, frames, and shelving he used for his skull. He would repaint the room if wanted, but for now he would leave it be. Right now there was a certain person who needed his attention.

“Can you wait outside for a few minutes? I need to talk to Lance,” Keith asked after he finished speckling the room. He knew Lance was home, having heard the front door open, but the half native was being quiet. Most likely sulking.

Shiro nodded with a small smile. “Sure.” He gave the half Korean’s forehead a kiss and left, exiting the duplex. 

Keith followed, but stopped once in the living room and eyed Lance warily as the half native played around on his phone, looking quite upset. Keith knew it wasn’t really about him moving out, Lance was actually quite excited when the Korean told him when Shiro asked him to move in the first time. It was about him and Hunk leaving on the same day. Lance was sulking because he would be alone at night, looking up at his ceiling wide awake with no snoring from Hunk to lull him to sleep or just Keith’s presence in the next room to calm his nerves of being alone. There would be no one there to wake him and hold him close when he had nightmares, no matter how little he had them. Or the comforting presence of someone just being there. No one to clean up after him for a week or make him breakfast.

Keith was an introvert and yet the thought of being alone was terrifying. He had his parents growing up until his father died, but still had has mother who tried to spend as much time with him as possible when she could. When she couldn’t, Keith had Lance and his family before the brunettr pushed him aside, but Keith still had Lance’s parents and the rest of his family along with Pidge before his mother died. Then he had Iverson, Thace, and Ulaz before Lance was back in his life. Now he had Hunk, Shiro, and Allura. While he did feel lonely at times, he was never truly alone.

Keith swallowed thickly and opened his mouth, but Lance cut him off.

“I’m sorry,” the half native mumbled, staring down at his phone still, but not doing anything with it.

Keith narrowed his eyes in confusion and tilted his head, a little surprised. “Why are you apologizing?”

Lance set his phone down with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. “Because I’m ruining the excitement of your big day in moving in with Shiro. I was happy that you told me the first time he asked and tried talking you into moving in sooner. Now here I am, acting like a child.”

“Well at least you’re being adult enough to admit it,” the half Korean teased with a light smile that fell when Lance gave him an unamused glare. “Look, Lance, you don’t have to worry about being alone. You can always call me if you need to and you can come over whenever. I’ll even stop by here after work when I have short days. You may be living alone for a week, but you’re not truly alone. You still have me, Pidge, Matt, Shiro, and your other weird friends to hang out with when Hunk is gone.”

“I know that,” Lance hissed, accidentally. The wince was all Keith needed to see that. “I just never been alone before. I shared a bedroom with my brothers and you growing up. I shared a dorm room when I went to college. And while we didn’t share a room when we moved in together, we still shared a home. For the first time, I’m not going to be sharing anything for a week. I’m going to be alone for the first time.”

Keith let out a sigh and sat down next to Lance. “Its only at night and only for a week. And you can come over for a night if you’re feeling particularly lonely.”

“I'll take you up on that offer once the honeymoon faze is over,” Lance said with a teasing smile, making Keith wonder what he was talking about. “Trust me when I say that you’re going to have loads of sex once you move in, especially since you’re a virgin and Shiro hasn’t had a proper fuck for about year now.”

Keith choked on air as he blushed, floundering for something to say. He finally settled on hitting the brunette on the arm and shouting, “Shut up!” He stood up, almost falling back down from how quickly he did so, and made to walk away, but stopped. He looked back at Lance with a concerned frown. 

“I’ll be alright, I’m sure. I think I’m just being melodramatic.” 

“I thought I’d never hear you admit it,” Keith chuckled. He laughed when Lance huffed and crossed his arms, sulking. The half Korean scratched behind his ear as he looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling shy. “Do you… want to come with us and help us unpack? Maybe go get something to eat afterwards?”

Lance waved off the question before leaning back on the couch. “Nah, I have a another appointment in an hour. But by the time I’m done and you’re still unpacking, I’ll probably stop by. But only because food was offered.”

Keith snickered, knowing that to be true. “Ok, see you later. Remember, you can call me anytime and I’ll answer when I can.”

“I know. Don’t worry about me. Hunk prepared meals for me for the next week and I’m not that hopeless. I know how to cook fucking Mac and cheese.” 

Relief filled Keith and almost slumped from it as he relaxed, but he couldn’t hold the laugh back at the las part. “Lets not forget what happened when we first moved in with each other.”

“Nothing really happened,” Lance grumbled as he looked away in embarrassment.

“The pot caught on fire and the stove would have too if I hadn’t come home early,” the half Korean replied with a blank face.

“It was one time!”

“One time too many.”

The half native let out a loud annoyed huff. “You’re never going to let me live it down are you?”

Keith shook his head as he gave a teasing grin. “Nope.”

“Just go already. I’m tired of your face.” Lance made a shooing motion and Keith snickered as he obeyed. “Tell Shiro I said bye and to be careful of your virgin butt.”

Keith blushed and sputtered again, glaring at the half native. “Shut up Lance!”

Now it was Lance’s turn to laugh teasingly. Keith flipped him the bird and stomped out, passing by Shiro, who was sitting on the stairs, and made his way to the truck. The older man followed after him and the half Korean rolled down the window to talk to Shiro.

“Ill follow behind you and meet up with you at the house.”

Shiro nodded. “Did the talk not go so well?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “It did. Just Lance being a shithead… as usual.”

“Ah, ok. I’ll see you at the house then.” He leaned in and gave the half Korean a kiss before heading to his suburban.

…

Bringing everything inside was not so time consuming as trying to unpack was turning out to be. Keith’s bed, wardrobe, and dresser was put into the guest bedroom for later use while his things were finding places of their own around the house. Shiro had cleared some space in the walk in closet in their bedroom and in his dresser. But not all of his clothes would fit so Keith had to put some in the dresser in the guest bedroom.   
His bear skull found a place on the fireplace mantle along with his horns and it looked perfect. On the shelf above it, it held a few candid pictures of them and a close up of Keith staring out into the ocean, the day very sunny. There was one of Shiro and his mother, no father present. He would have to ask about that one late since this was the first time he was seeing it.

They weren’t even half way through when Lance texted and asked if they were still going at it. When Keith said yes, the brunette replied he would be over soon. The half Korean was filling Shiro’s empty shelves out in the living room with his many books and manga when Lance showed up while the older man was in the bedroom setting up Keith’s niknaks in random places that mixed in with his stuff. Lance was great… at ordering them around and how to properly place their things so it balances the room. And that’s all he did for the rest of the evening. Sometimes moving things around and straightening something with a keen eye. It was annoying, but Keith had to agree; the rooms didn’t look so cluttered and half assed after Lance went through them.

By the time they were done, it was getting late in the evening and Shiro and Keith didn’t realize how hungry they were until after they threw the last box into the small attic and took a breather. They had skipped lunch as well, too focused on what they were doing to notice. They were also too tired to go out and eat or cook a meal and ordering in was a no no since the only places that delivered where they were, were pizza places… meaning wheat. Meaning Keith couldn’t have any. The half Korean told them to go ahead and order and he’ll fix himself something up, but the other two felt bad to eat something he couldn’t have in front of him.

Since Lance hardly did anything and didn’t even break a sweat, he offered to go into town and pick something up. Everyone agreed on Burger Bus and Lance called their order in ahead of time so it would be ready by the time he got there. While the couple waited for the half native, Shiro switched on the TV, toed off his shoes, and kicked back on the armchair with a tired sigh. Keith took up the couch and had been shoeless since they finished unpacking, laying down on it, and told Shiro to click on Merlin when he saw it pop up on the Netflix menu. The other had never seen it before and Keith could rewatch the show a million times and never get bored of it. 

By the time Lance came back, Keith and Shiro were nodding off despite being hungry and jolted awake when the brunette slammed the front door shut. They ate in comfortable silence and agreed that Lance could spend the night since it was late and the couple were too tired to really do anything. Keith fell asleep on the couch and Lance placed a blanket over him while Shiro started to snore from where he slept, already covered in a knitted blanket. The half native took the guest bedroom and whined the whole time he was fixing the bed that he didn’t like not brushing his teeth before sucking it up and going to sleep.

…

The next morning, Keith woke up to the smell of waffles and maple syrup. He sniffed and stretched much like a cat before slowly sitting up, looking around blearily. He saw Shiro still passed out on the chair with his head tilted back, mouth hanging open, and breathing loudly. When the half Korean looked towards the kitchen, he saw Lance standing there with his back to him and leaning against the counter, wearing nothing but his briefs. There was a loud ding and Lance opened up the waffle iron, using a fork to pull it out and put on the already growing stack next to him.

“I can’t believe you haven’t burned anything down yet,” Keith said gravely, coughing to clear his throat.

The brunette didn’t even jump and poured some more batter into the iron. “I’m not useless when it comes to waffles. That’s the most important thing I promised myself I wouldn’t burn. I can’t believe he even had all the stuff to make waffles, especially where you can eat it.”

Keith perked up at this and stood up with an odd pop to his shoulder. He walked over and saw that indeed Shiro had everything Lance needed to make waffles that he could have. And it was true, if it was one thing that Lance was good at making, it was waffles. Of course they weren’t as good as Hunk’s but it was a close second. The batter was made from bananas and eggs with chocolate chips stirred in it, sweetened with a little bit of Truvia. Keith was surprised because Shiro hated bananas and the half Korean thought he would have to go shopping soon to get them.

“I thought you said he hated bananas,” Lance said as he grabbed another plate from the cabinet above his head and handed it to Keith.

Keith grabbed it. “He does, but he knows I love them.” There was nothing that he loved more than bananas… food wise. He stacked a few waffles onto his plate and spread a large amount of butter over them before pouring a small amount of maple syrup on them.

“You got yourself a good man there, Keith. Don’t lose this one.”

The half Korean snickered. “I don’t plan on it.”

“Good,” Shiro’s voice said behind them, starting them. “Cause I don’t plan on letting go.” He wrapped his arms around Keith’s middle and held the half Korean to his chest. “Mmm good morning.”

“Good morning,” Keith returned, smiling lightly and blushing. The blush deepened when the larger man kissed his temple.

Lance made a sound of disgust, but didn’t say anything as the iron beeped again. 

“Don’t give me that, you chose to stay over last night,” Keith grumped as he started to hunch over from Shiro’s weight, sighing in annoyance. 

“Which I’m regretting now,” Lance grumbled back. He pulled the iron’s cord from the wall plug in, done with it, and snickered when he saw the predicament that Keith was now in. “I never would have taken Shiro as a non morning person with how perky and dad like he is.

The older man had closed his eyes and decided to hang off of Keith, forcing the half Korean to try and hold him up, which he was currently failing at. Keith wiggled and tried shrugging him off, but that failed as well. He had to grab the edge of the counter to keep himself up and growled in annoyance that his waffles were now getting cold.

All his wiggling, though, did eventually make Shiro let out a groan and ask, “Why are you moving so much?”

“I’m trying to get you off me so I don’t face plant into my food,” Keith replied.

“But who’s going to hold me up if you’re not going to?” Shiro whined, making the half Korean lift an eyebrow.

“Go find a chair or sit on the floor.”

“I would listen to him, man. Keith’s not a very forgiving person first thing in the morning,” Lance jumped in, eating a buttery waffle by hand.

“Shut up Lance. Shiro, get off.”

Shiro obeyed with a disappointed groan and slid off to slink off to sit at the table. “You’re no fun.”

Keith scoffed as he cut up his food. “Try again later after I’ve been awake for a few hours.” He scarfed down several bites before grabbing another plate to place several waffles on it and brought it over to his boyfriend along with the butter and syrup. He didn’t bother telling Shiro it was made from bananas and decided to see if the older man would notice.

With how much syrup he put on it and how much chocolate chips Lance had put in it, Shiro hadn’t notice, but did give a small grimace to show he didn’t like it very much. Shiro still ate all of it before asking what was in it. Keith and Lance looked at each other as they tried to hold back their laughter.

“Oh, just bananas, eggs, and chocolate chips,” the half native replied around a snicker.

Shiro’s eyes widened at this before looking over to the counter to see several banana peels and the egg carton. “Oh…”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows at the small answer and started to become worried. “You’re not allergic are you?” At this point, Lance had started to look worried as well.

“Nope, just surprised that I broke a promise that I made when I was a child,” Shiro replied, looking indeed quite shocked.

Keith snorted out a small laugh and asked, “You made a promise to never eat bananas again? Why?”

“Because bananas are gross!”

Both Keith and Lance broke into laughter, almost making the brunette choke on his food. That wasn’t really an answer and it was said childishly, so they couldn’t take him seriously especially when he crossed his arms and sulked in his seat. Shiro tended to act like a child in the mornings and Keith knew this from the times his boyfriend stayed over on his weeks off, waking up usually after Keith had been up for a while and not yet experiencing Keith’s own grumpiness of having to wake up.

“Ok, whatever.” Keith ate the rest of his waffle and rinsed off the plate before placing it in the dishwasher. He grabbed two mugs and began a pot of coffee, something that should have been done a while ago. “Think you can hold on a few more minutes before the coffee’s done?”

Shiro’s reply was muffled and not understandable from where he laid his head in his arms that were crossed over the table so Keith just shrugged and waited quietly by the pot. Lance had disappeared back into the guest room before coming back out properly dressed in yesterday’s clothes, hair still a mess.

“I have an appointment in two hours so I’m going home to clean up,” the brunette said when he came back out, looking around for his jacket and shoes. 

“Ok. Remember what I said about calling any time. I may not answer every time, but I’ll try my best,” Keith said as he watched the other tiredly pull on his shoes and jacket, zipping it up and pulling the hood over his head. “Be careful on the way home.”

Lance hummed and took a moment to prepare himself before opening the door and stepping out into wind and rain. Keith shivered as a gust blew in and it made Shiro jolt up, goosebumps forming on his skin. The older man looked around in confusion before turning to Keith.

“Where’s Lance?” 

“He had to go,” Keith replied just as the coffee maker beeped that it was done. The half Korean was quick in making Shiro a cup first, not wanting to deal with the childish him any more than he had to.

“Oh. Thanks.” The older man took the cup with a grateful smile and took a small sip. 

It became quiet again as the younger man made his own mug, putting plenty of creamer and Truvia in it to make anybody else gag from it. Keith looked over towards his lover and eyed him as Shiro slowly sipped his coffee, elbow rested on the table as the hand held up his head. The older man was looking around the living room, Keith’s things catching his eye as they entangled with his own. A small smile blossomed across his face before it was hidden behind his cup as he took another sip, this one longer as the coffee had cooled down. Shiro’s hair was in disarray and his eyes still had a sleepy look to them… and he looked perfect.

Keith felt his heart speed up and he placed his cup on the counter, eyes zeroed in on the older man. His breath picked up as he got closer to Shiro and before he knew it, he was by the other’s side with the older man looking up at him with a lifted eyebrow. Shiro said something, a question, but Keith didn’t know what it was and he gulped as he used all his strength to push Shiro’s chair away from the table. It made a horrible sound and it surprised the other, but the half Korean couldn’t care less right now.

The younger man straddled the other’s lap, stared into dark gray eyes similar to his own, and pressed forward, touching their lips together softly. Electricity buzzed through him as excitement filled him from the simple touch and Keith’s hands shook from it all. His hands gripped Shiro’s shoulders tightly as he leaned his head to the side to deepen the kiss, gasping when the older man’s tongue swiped against his lower lip. Keith’s mouth barely opened from the gasp, but it was enough for Shiro to shove his tongue into his mouth.

The half Korean moaned and wrapped his arms around his lover’s shoulders, one hand sliding through the hair in the back of Shiro’s head. Keith opened his mouth wider and allowed his tongue to play along side Shiro’s, breathing heavily through his nose as lust filled him. He wasn’t sure what brought this on, but he was sure he wanted it. Badly. He pressed his hardening prick down into the older man’s lap to show him how much he wanted it.

Shiro pulled away with a sharp gasp and stared into Keith’s eyes , panting. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Yes,” the half Korean gasped out and dove back in, grinding against his boyfriend. The sudden want and need of Shiro was increasing by the second and he wasn’t even sure what he wanted from the older man. When Shiro pulled away again, Keith moved his mouth to the other’s neck and began licking and kissing the pale skin from jaw to shoulder.

“Keith,” Shiro moaned with a chuckle. “What brought this on?”

“I don’t know, just really want you,” Keith replied. “Please touch me.”

The older man’s hands that were resting on the half Korean’s hips slid down to rest on Keith’s ass, squeezing a cheek in each hand. Keith gasped at the touch and Shiro took the chance to capture his mouth again, pushing his tongue inside. Those heavily calloused hands moved up to the waist band of Keith’s pants and underwear and slid beneath them to touch the smooth skin that they covered. Both were still in clothes from yesterday and Keith wanted nothing more than to take them off.

The younger man unwrapped his arms from around Shiro so he could slide his hands down the front of the older man’s chest until he reached the hem of his shirt and slid his hands underneath it, the material bunching around his wrists as he pushed his hands back up. They pulled apart so Keith could pull off Shiro’s shirt before the bigger man pulled him back in. Shiro did the same with Keith and pulled up the half Korean’s shirt, staying back so he could gaze at the other’s naked upper body.

“You’re so beautiful,” Shiro whispered as he brought his hands to Keith’s belly, touching lightly and making the half Korean shiver. He ran his fingers up pale skin to Keith’s neck, purposely passing over pale pink nipples. His eyes glazed over with want as they became half lidded, looking awed. “May I… take your pants off?”

Keith nodded nervously and allowed Shiro to unbutton and unzip his pants before standing up so the older man could pull down his pants. He gasped when his dick sprang free, almost hitting Shiro in the face, and slipped his feet free from the garment. He blushed under the older man’s gaze and tried his best not to hide himself from his lover. Shiro didn’t say anything as he too stood up and grabbed Keith’s hands, bring them to his pants. The half Korean got the point and undid Shiro’s pants before slowly pushed them down to reveal the older man’s own prick. 

Keith’s eyes widened as his mouth went dry. Shiro was very, very good looking and big. Probably not as big as Hunk, he guessed, but the older man was still a pretty good size. His gaze followed along the lines Shiro’s body back up to his face with a deep blush.

“Like what you see?” Shiro asked teasingly, spreading his arms out as he presented himself.

Keith gave the other another once over and nodded, mouth slightly open. His heart picked up as his breathing quickened and swallowed thickly when his eyes made it back up to Shiro’s face. Hesitantly, Keith reached out to touch his lover and saw the other shiver when he his finger tips barely touched Shiro’s chest. He moved forward until he was bare inches from the other’s naked body, startling when Shiro grabbed his hips and gently pressed him close.

Their lengths pressed against each other and Keith gasped at the touch. Without letting go, Shiro slowly pushed the half Korean back until they reached the couch and gently lowered him onto it, climbing over him to settle on top of him. Keith wrapped his legs around his lover’s hips and pressed his face against his neck when Shiro began to thrust against him, their dicks trapped against each other and between their bodies. Keith moaned into his lover’s throat and squeezed him tightly, already so close to the edge. 

Shiro lifted up just enough to slip a hand between them and grab both of their hardness, pumping his hand up and down. Keith jumped at the touch and let out a sharp whine, moaning and groaning at the feel of someone else’s hand over his prick. Shiro’s calloused hand, though, was beginning to make him hurt and had to stop him for a second so the older man could spit on his hand to lessen the painful friction. While it wouldn’t last long, it would be enough as they were both close to coming.

“Shiro,” Keith gasped out with a small whine, hooking his chin over Shiro’s shoulder so he could breathe as he panted. “I’m gonna come.”

The older man carefully lifted his upper body up onto one elbow and gazed down at the younger man with glazed eyes, sweat gathering on his forehead. For a few short seconds, Shiro closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he suddenly came with a groan before quickly looking back down, still spurting. Keith came with a loud whine not long after, his whole body tensing, and he gripped Shiro’s arms tightly.

The larger man fell down onto Keith, making the half Korean grunt from the weight, and panted as he caught his breath. Keith hugged him tightly as he too panted, surprised and happy at what they had just done. While it may not seem like much to some people, but to Keith, it was everything. A start to something bigger, deeper (pun intended). Something to get him ready before the big finale.

Shiro lifted himself up onto his hands so he could stare down at Keith with a gentle smile.   
“Was that… satisfactory?”

The younger man smiled tiredly in return and cupped his lover’s face with his right hand. “It was everything I could have dreamed of and more. It was amazing.”

“Even though we didn’t… you know, do that?”

“There’s still plenty of time for that,” Keith said with a chuckle, eyeing the naked man before him. “Maybe even in the next hour, if you’re up for it.”

“Oh, I’m definitely up for it,” Shiro growled sexily as he bent down to claim Keith’s mouth once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave a comment and kudos.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile, sorry about that. This chapter is going to get a bit sad. I actually teared up a few times because it reminded me of my own parents' deaths. Hope you all enjoy and drop a comment and kudos.

It was wonderful. The feeling of Shiro inside him for the first time, taking his virginity and filling him completely, and being so gentle with him. Keith never felt so good before, felt so full, or such pleasure in all his life. Shiro carried him off to the bedroom, laid him down, stretched him out, and pushed into him so slowly and gently that the pain didn’t last long. The larger man kept the pace slow and stared into his smaller boyfriend’s eyes, wanting to memorize the other’s face. Then once Keith got used to Shiro being inside him, the older man picked up the pace after leaning down and wrapping his arms around Keith, holding him close.

It felt like it lasted hours but it was only forty-five minutes, most of it being the fingering. The best forty-five minutes of his life. He came hard between them and moaned when he felt Shiro twitch inside him when he came. The larger man rolled off of Keith to lay next to the smaller man, both panting as they enjoyed the after math of their lovemaking. Both sweaty and bodies flushed. Keith couldn’t help but smile from where he laid, happy with what just happened. They were definitely doing that again very soon… as soon as his ass stopped aching.

Shiro rolled onto his side so he could lean over Keith and kiss him deeply, smiling as well. The smaller man rolled onto his side as well and wrapped his arms around the other. As their little make out started to become heavy, a loud ring out in the living room startled them both. It was Keith’s and the ring tone warned him that it was Iverson. The smaller man jumped out of bed, hissing at the sudden ache in his lower body, and limped his way out the bedroom. Shiro followed after him worriedly and was about to say something when Keith answered his phone on the last ring.

“Hey Iverson,” Keith quickly answered, stopping Shiro’s words in their tracks. 

“Good morning… you sound out of breath, did I interrupt your workout or something?” Iverson asked.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. What can I do for you today?” Keith sat down slowly on the couch and held back a groan of pain.

“Well I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with me today?”

“Uh sure.” Keith made a face, a bit confused at the sudden question, but he found he couldn’t say no to the older man. He liked spending time with Iverson now that he didn’t have to live with him and didn’t have to follow the man’s strict rules.

“Just you, ok?”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “… um, ok. Any reason why?”

“I just need to have a private conversation with you.”

The smaller man shrugged when Shiro gave him a questioning look, wondering what was going on. “Ok, sure. What time?”

“Twelve thirty work ok?”

Keith looked up at the time and saw he had about an hour. “Sure, where?”

“Coffee Roasters ok?”

“Sure.” While a coffee shop, it also served sandwiches and the like and if that isn’t enough, there was a pizza shop right next to it in the strip mall. “Ill see you in an hour I guess.”

“Ok, bye.” Iverson hung up after his blunt answer and Keith pulled his phone away from his ear to stare at it in concern.

“What was that about?” Shiro asked as he sat next to his lover, raising an eyebrow. 

“Iverson wants a private conversation with me,” Keith answered as he placed his phone on the coffee table and stood up, heading for the bedroom to get dressed. “I don’t know what of, but I’m beginning to worry.”

Shiro nodded as he too decided to dress. “Well I hope everything’s alright.”

“Me too.” The smaller man slipped on some socks and tied his hair back into a small ponytail, a few strands falling around his face. He looked at the mirror hanging on the bedroom door and eyed his hair, messing with it. “Do you think I should cut my hair?”

Shiro looked over his shoulder while buttoning his pants to give Keith a confused stare. “What do you want to do?”

“Eh, I don’t know yet. I like it like this, but I also hate it because it gets in my face when I work.” Keith growled in annoyance as he tucked and retucked hair behind his ears, only for it to continuously fall back around or in his face. 

Shiro was suddenly beside him, pulling Keith’s hair back from his face and held them in place by a few small clips. “I think you decide whatever you want. If you want to cut your hair, then do it and decide that you hate it, well… hair grows back.”

Keith chuckled and grinned lightly at his boyfriend through the mirror. “I guess that’s true.” He looked over towards the clock on the nightstand and saw he didn’t have much time left before he needed to leave. “I gotta get going.”

“Ok, I’ll be in the garage fixing up a car.”

Kekth nodded and headed out to the front door, putting on his shoes and slipping on a light jacket. It was sunny today, but also windy with some dark clouds in the distance, keeping the heat at bay for now. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone so don’t wait up. I’ll see you later.”

“K. Bye. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Keith smiled brightly as he shut the door behind him and walked over to his big ass truck. He climbed in, turned the key half way, waited for the wait to start light to shut off before starting his truck, and drove the five minute drive to Coffee Roasters. The shop was on the same highway but on the Soldotna side, not far from the Kenai side.

When he got there, Iverson was already there and sitting on one of the few couches in the small place with two cups sitting on the coffee table in front of him. The older man looked relaxed from what Keith could see and that had him relax as well as he made his way to his old guardian. He sat down on the armchair close to Iverson and shook his hand with a smile when the older man offered it. It turned into a half hug, the two leaning out of their seats with their hands still clasped between them.

“Good to see you kid,” Iverson said as he sat back in his seat with his cup of coffee. “You moved in ok?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, everything went well. Thanks for letting me borrow the trailer, I’ll bring it back later today.”

“Ah don’t worry about it, I’ll stop by and pick it up when we’re done here so you don’t have to drive all the way out to Nikiski.” Iverson waved a hand as he said this. “Kinda want to see that garage your boy has.”

Keith rolled his eyes. Typical. When Keith first told Iverson about Shiro being a mechanic, the old guardian immediately liked him before even meeting him. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Iverson's face became serious as he looked straight into the other’s dark gray eyes. “… my daughter called me a few months back.”

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise. His old guardian didn’t talk about his past much, but when he did, he always mentioned his daughter. The older man was once married and had a little girl before he got divorced and his ex-wife moved away with their five year old daughter. Iverson didn’t blame them, he said, because he wasn’t the best husband or father. Always gone at work or locked up in the garage, not giving the attention his family needed and ignoring the growing problems between him and his wife. Then the wife had enough, divorced Iverson and moved back to North Dakota to live with her family. He hadn’t seen or heard from his daughter since she was ten, eighteen years ago.

“Really? How’d that go?” Keith asked softly, worried about the answer because the last thing his daughter said to her father weren’t very nice things.

“Good, actually. I’m going to be a grandfather in three months and she wants me in his life,” Iverson replied proudly, looking the happiest Keith’s ever seen him. “She wants to give me a second chance.”

The younger man smiled brightly, showing teeth, and lunged off the chair to hug his old guardian tightly. “That’s awesome! I’m very happy for you!”

“But there’s a catch.”

Keith pulled away with a confused look and sat next to Iverson on the couch. “What is it?”

“… I have to move. Down to North Dakota.”

Keith felt like his heart dropped into his stomach and he paled. Iverson was leaving? His daughter gave him an ultimatum and he agreed? Just like that? Keith didn’t know what to feel at this moment. He understood the man’s daughter’s reasoning for the choice, but wanted to be angry at her for making Iverson choose. But what else could his old guardian do? Traveling was expensive and Iverson couldn’t afford to constantly travel back and forth to see his grandson.

“Oh,” Keith finally said, looking down at his knees.

Iverson sighed and scooted closer to the young man, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.   
“Look, Keith, I know this isn’t something you wanted to hear, but this is my daughter and my grandson. We may not have spoken to each other in years, but she’s my family just as much as you are. When she called and apologized, wanted to see me and be there for when she gives birth, it was the best thing I heard in a long time. I want, I need to be there for them. I was given a second chance and I don’t want to mess up again.”

Keith nodded but didn’t say anything.

“You know I love you like a son and Alaska will always be my home, right?”

He only nodded again, but looked up this time with sad eyes.

“I’ll still come back every other year to fish or hunt and even bring my family with me when I can. I’m not going to completely drop out of your life. I’ll even get a Facebook thing.”

Keith, while still upset, couldn’t help but snort with an amused grin. He could see Iverson signing up and offending everyone with his political views and dark humor. He was a hunter and believed there were only two genders, something Keith believed in as well. People of Facebook would not like someone like Iverson. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

The older man glared in confusion. “Why not?”

“You’d be on it all day having debates with tree hugging Hillary loving pussies as you would say. Unless you put your profile on a private setting so only friends and family can see your posts.” Keith scratched his chin in thought. “Anyways, I’m happy for you. I really am. I’m just… going to miss you a lot.”

Iverson patted the others back and smiled sadly at him. “I know son, I know.”

“… when do you leave?”

“December first, two weeks before my grandson’s due date.”

So at least he had one last Thanksgiving with Iverson. Keith nodded and finally grabbed his now lukewarm coffee and took a sip.

“You hungry? I could really go for a slice of pizza.”

Keith chuckled and nodded, finishing off his coffee. He stood up once Iverson finished his as well and the two left the coffee shop to enter the door to their immediate left, pizza wafting into their noses. They had cheese and Canadian pineapple on the warm display and Keith immediately asked for two slices of cheese, the same for his old guardian, when asked. With slices and soda in hand, they sat down at a tall round table by the front window and ate, talking some more about Iverson’s leaving.

Done eating, the older man then had Keith follow him across the street to the Aspen Storage, not even asking about the limp in the young man’s step. Iverson punched in the code to the gated in storage units and walked in once the chain link door slid open. Huh, Keith didn’t know the older man had a unit, thinking Iverson would have told him. They walked down the rows of large garages until the old guardian stopped at the third to the last and pulled out a key, unlocking the door next to the garage door.

“I didn’t know you had a unit, though it’s none of my business,” Keith said as he followed the other inside the heated building.

Iverson shrugged as he shut the door behind the younger man, turning on the light. “I’ve had this place for so long I often forget about it until I receive a letter in the mail that I’m late on payments.”

Keith’s eyes widened as he took in shelves upon shelves surrounding a Jeep renegade that looked custom made. There were boxes and totes cluttering the shelves and when Keith peeked inside one close to him, he saw off-road race trophies in Iverson’s name. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Well,” the older man sighed with his hands on his hips, “with me moving in a few months, I need help going through this stuff. Some of it belonged to your mom before she passed.”

The younger man straightened at this and looked at Iverson with wide eyes. “Mom’s? But I thought I already had all her stuff?”

The old guardian looked away guiltily as he placed a hand on the hood of the Jeep. “I let you think you did because I was being selfish and wanted to hold on to these memories for as long as possible. I was afraid I would forget about her if I didn’t hold on to these. But…” He paused with a look of sadness while Keith stared at his old guardian with a look of pity. “I haven’t been in here since she died. It was too painful.”

Keith nodded, understanding Iverson’s reasoning even though it still upset him that the older man hid all these things from him. “Well, I’m glad you held onto them for me.”

Iverson nodded and gazed back over to the smaller man, seeing that Keith wasn’t all that angry at him. “It won’t take long to find her stuff and she only has a few boxes with her name on it. The biggest thing I’m worried about is the Jeep. It’s been sitting here so long… I’m afraid it might have some more problems than it already did before.”

Keith went to stand next to his old guardian and eyed the vehicle, falling in love with it. “Was this yours when you were young?”

“Actually, it was your mom’s. Your pa made it for her as an engagement ring since your mom wasn’t fond of jewelry. With a vehicle like this, of course she said yes.” Iverson chuckled as he smiled at the fond memory.

Keith’s eyes widened again as his eyes followed along the lines of the Jeep’s body, loving the shimmering deep blue paint. He never knew his dad had so much talent. All he knew and remembered was that his dad was a jack of all trades, dipping his hands into everything to make more money. But being a mechanic was what he did best, Keith knew, but being able to build a whole car was something he never knew or told about. Wait, did that mean…? 

“Yes, it’s yours now," Iverson said, obviously reading the younger man’s mind.

Keith felt excitement fill him as he opened the door to the driver’s side and hoped in, seeing that his father made it a clutch and not a standard. Which was ok because Iverson made sure to teach Keith to drive a clutch first. The young man smiled down at the steering wheel and ran his hands over it. It smelt musty inside with a hint of gas and Keith was ready to drive it out of the garage.

“I don’t remember ever seeing this,” Keith mumbled as he went through years of memories of different vehicles his parents owned and never once did this Jeep pop up.

“Well, your ma used to drive it everywhere, even after you were born. But then it broke down and she asked if she could park it here for a while until she and your pa came up with the money to fix it,” Iverson replied as he stood next to the driver’s door, having heard the young man because of the rolled down window. “They never could and then your pa died and… well… it became too painful for her to even look at it.”

Keith stared down at the steering wheel and reality seemed to sit in. He was sitting in a car that his father had built with his own two hands that his mother used to drive. He could faintly smell her perfume that she loved so much soaked in the seat, slightly hidden beneath the musty smell of mold and dirt. He felt his eyes tear up and clenched his jaw closed to keep himself from breaking down, but all these emotions that he’s shoved down for so long broke through the wall and Keith dropped his forehead against the wheel. He cried for a long while, Iverson standing there quietly with his back against the door.

He missed his mom, his dad too, but not as much as mom because he had her longer and had more memories of her than he did his dad. While it had become easier to deal with their death over the years, it still hurt. Overwhelming pain would come and go over losing them and sometimes at the wrong place at the wrong time. He missed them most during difficult times in his life and needed their counseling, thinking about talking to them and imagining what they would say.

What would they think of him now? Would they be proud? Disappointed? The thought always depressed him and if it weren’t for Iverson telling him how proud his parents would be, Keith might never be able to crawl out of the dark pit of sadness. It was one thing hearing his guardian tell him, but it was another, greater, thing to hear it from his parents. He always hoped he did his parents proud, but sometimes he couldn’t help but think that he didn’t.

“Your parents would be proud of you kid,” Iverson said suddenly, bringing Keith out of his darkening thoughts. “Don’t ever forget that. You’ve become a real man, Keith. More of one than anybody your age.”

Keith scoffed as his shoulders slumped. “No I’m not. I’m a fucking housekeeper at a hotel and I take it up the ass. How is that manly?”

Iverson turned around to face him, a light blush on his face, with a look of seriousness. “Kid, you fucking took down a bear, a mountain goat, a bull moose, and several other dangerous animals. You know how to fish, fix a car, drive a car, start a fire, fix your clothes, make shelter, use a gun. You know more than half the people that live here and take great care of yourself. You may be a little downer sometimes, but you have great manners and a great heart and that’s all that matters.

“So you clean up after people, who cares? Sure it’s not the greatest nor the best paying job out there, but its what you do best and enjoy it the best you can while keeping your patience. You’ve grown into a good man, Keith. No matter what anyone says.”

Keith teared up again and smiled at the older man before hiding his face behind his hands as tried to wipe away his tears. “Thank you.”

“Any time kid.” Iverson patted the younger man on the shoulder before walking away, looking a few boxes over.

Keith hopped out to follow. “If there are boxes of mom’s stuff in here, why didn’t we drive here?”

Iverson paused and Keith could barely hear a mumbled “My mind’s getting too old.”

The younger man raised an eyebrow and smirked, crossing his arms as Iverson continued in shuffling around the shelves. Keith stepped up beside the older man and watched him move around several plastic totes and open cardboard boxes, catching a glimpse of what was inside them. One held photo albums, another held odd junk, and the other held notebooks. The last one Iverson handed to him. Keith took it with a confused glance, holding it in his hands.

“Those were your mother’s journals I believe,” Iverson mumbled as he reached for a box high above his head.

Keith’s eyes widened and he squeezed the box unconsciously closer to him. He took a quick look at the sides and found his mother’s name written in marker on one side. There were many books with dates on them, going as far back as her young adult years. The one on the very top though was what interested the younger man the most; it was the last one she wrote before she died. Before he could set the box down so he could open the notebook, Iverson called out to him again.

“Ah! Here’s a box of all of your ma’s clothes. She had good taste,” the older man said as he took the lid off a tote.

Keith set the box down and made his way over to the other to look inside. He reached in and pulled out a red leather jacket with black lining inside it. Without thinking, he pulled it on and it fit him perfectly.

“Looks good on you kid,” Iverson said, a lost look coming across his face. “You look so much like your mother.” He seemed to tear up before he quickly looked away to stare down at the tote. “You remind me so much of her. She wore that very same jacket the first time we met.” Iverson turned back around, emotions under control once again.

“How did you meet again?” Keith asked as he pulled the jacket off, smelling a bit too musky to stand for any longer. He set it back inside the tote and put the lid back on.

Iverson smiled in remembrance as he looked to be pulling up some old memories. “It was actually the same night your parents met. Your old man and I had just done a long day of fishing before finishing the day at our favorite bar. Oh, the look on Vincent’s face when he laid eyes on the new barmaid. It was love at first sight for him, not so much your mother.”

Keith’s brows furrowed in confusion.

The older man chuckled. “Krolia was not impressed with the fish smell that wafted off Vincent. Plus his pick up lines were horrible. It took a few months before he finally won her over and then love blossomed quickly between them. Then you came soon after and I’ve never seen your pa happier than he was at that moment.”

The young man smiled sadly as he thought of his mother, believing in her giving his father a hard time. He remembered even from a young age before his dad died that she would constantly tease his father, playfully teasing him and riling him up. His dad enjoyed it and it was easy to tell, Vincent liked chasing after Keith’s mother and winning her over time and time again. The love between them was obvious.

“I think there’s only a few boxes left to look for,” Iverson said as he began his search again. He picked out another tote full of albums and loose pictures. 

Keith found another box with his mother’s name and saw it held random niknaks. He set it down next to the rest of his mother’s stuff and searched for more, finding two more boxes. Iverson found one more and that was it, everything else belonged to the older man.

“What are you going to do with the rest of the stuff?” Keith asked as he eyed the Jeep once more, wondering if Shiro would like an after work project.

“Well, I’ll look through and see what I want and don’t want,” Iverson replied. “Stuff I don’t want I’ll just sell it. Unless you want any of it.”

Keith made a small thinking noise as he looked along the shelves full of junk. “Maybe some other time. Call me when you start looking through everything. I know you’re not doing it today.” He added the last part before Iverson could even open his mouth.

The older man chuckled. “You know me too well.”

Keith just shrugged. “You going to help me carry all these boxes back to the truck?”

“How about I go get your truck and I’ll walk back to mine once we’re finished here.”

“Sure.” Keith took the keys from his pocket and handed it to the older man. He figured while he waited for Iverson, he could start on his mother’s journals.

Iverson took the keys and walked out of the unit, leaving Keith alone. The younger man looked through the box and decided to start from the beginning, grabbing the oldest notebook in the box. With it, he jumped into the Jeep and opened it, frowning when he saw the broken up English and badly misspelled words. He remembered his mother used to tell him how bad she was at writing English, still learning before she met his father. Speaking English was a bit easier and had started to learn before she left Korea.

Keith did his best in deciphering on what his mother wrote and learned that she was still in Korea when she wrote in this notebook, writing down about an arranged marriage with a delusional man who did not treat her right. Krolia saved up money from her job that she had behind her parents’ back and left as soon as she was old enough, cutting all ties with them. There were a couple of polaroid pics of what Keith assumed was her and her family. And that was as far as he got before Iverson walked back in.

“Ready?” the older man asked, picking up a box.

“Yeah,” Keith replied and jumped down, placing the notebook back in the box and picking it up to follow Iverson out the door.

It had begun to rain so any cardboard box was placed inside the truck while all the totes went in the back. When everything was packed away, the two hugged a goodbye and Iverson began to walk back across the highway to his own truck. Keith climbed inside his and drove back home. Shiro was still in the garage, a heavy duty mask on his face to protect himself from the part’s cleaner as he scrubbed away on an engine part and not even noticing that Keith had opened the door to the garage to check up on him. Not wanting to disturb him, Keith brought everything in himself and set them neatly in the living room.

Box of notebooks in front of him, the younger man began to read his mother’s journals once again, picking up where he last left off. She wrote a lot in the first notebook, explaining in detail, well as detailed as she could in English, about how she ran away, what it was like when she first landed in Alaska, her first few months in the state. And about the man who was cute but bad with pick up lines. She wrote all her thoughts of Keith’s father, playing hard to get before finally giving in, her English getting better throughout the journal. She was so in love with Vincent that even though they had only been dating less than a year, she couldn’t help but say yes when asked to marry Vincent.

Keith found himself smiling throughout the first book, curling up on the couch. He read through it quickly before he was on the next book within hours; Shiro still working in the garage. The next notebook was full of memories, good and bad, the happiest being of Keith’s birth. It talked of Keith’s first few years of life and his parents’ happiness, but the young man knew what was going to come in the next notebook and Keith wasn’t prepared at the agony and sadness written down at the death of his father.

Keith knew his mother had grown depressed, but didn’t know how much so. The death of Vincent broke her to the point she almost took her own life soon after. If it wasn’t for their child, she would have. Keith was the only thing keeping her living before she finally got help and even then it wasn’t enough to make her happy. Keith felt his heart break for his mother as he continued to read through her depressing words, never knowing how his mother truly felt until now.

Krolia tried her hardest to keep it together for her son’s sake, but felt like a failure for all she couldn’t provide for him and thankful for Lance and his family. She tried to move on, even going on a couple of dates, but they never went past the first. She was still too in love with Vincent and couldn’t move on. She was also grateful for Iverson being in her life, the military man helping her keep her head up as she began to get sick.

She spoke of her many times in the hospital and her sadness of not being there for Keith, of her growing debt in hospital bills, forcing her to work harder and longer to pay them off. Keeping her away from her son. She was tired, depressed, angry, envious. And she continuously got sick, getting pneumonia and forcing her into the hospital for months at a time as her body became frail.

Keith was getting close to the end of the notebooks when Shiro finally left the garage, startling in surprise when he noticed Keith on the couch. 

“Oh, you’re home. I didn’t even hear you come in,” Shiro said as he shut the door to the garage closed. 

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Keith replied offhandedly as he continued to read, eyebrows furrowed and eyes wet with unshed tears.

Shiro frowned at the state of his boyfriend before noticing the boxes taking up space in the living room. “What’s all this? Are you ok?”

“I’m… ok, for the most part,” Keith answered hesitantly as he set the book down, looking up at the other. He swallowed thickly before continuing. “This is all my mom’s stuff that Iverson had hidden away in storage. And these are her journals.” He waved a hand over the box of notebooks.

Shiro’s expression saddened and he sat next to Keith, eyeing the smaller man. “Hard reading?”

“More than I thought.” Keith’s eyes dropped away from Shiro’s gaze and blinked away the tears, sniffling. “I just never knew how hard a time she was having after my dad’s death. She always smiled and laughed, looking happy.”

“I think she was doing her best not to worry you. My mother did the same. She always tried to smile and be happy around me even though my father beat her.” Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s knee closest to him, gathering the smaller man’s attention. “Good parents will always do what’s right for their child no matter how much they hurt. Your mother loved you Keith and your happiness mattered more than her own.”

Keith teared up again and this time a few tears fell down his cheeks. “I just wish I could tell her how much she means to me.”

“I think she already knew.” Shiro pulled Keith to him and held him tightly as the younger man began to cry. It wasn’t as loud or ugly as it was in the storage unit, but it tired him out. “I like to believe she was very proud and would be proud of you now of the man you’ve become.”

Keith said nothing but did quiet down until it was just sniffles. He pulled away and smiled gently at the older man, kissing him in thanks. 

“Want to take a break and help me clean some parts?” Shiro asked quietly.

Keith shook his head. “No thanks. After what happened last time, I’ll pass.”

“If you would have just kept the mask on-“

“I could hardly breath with that thing on and it left marks where it pressed tightly against my face.”

“You fainted from the chemicals, Keith.” Shiro raised an eyebrow and looked unamused, red lines marking around his mouth and nose from said mask. “It’s a good thing I looked over when I did or else that could have been a lot worse.”

Keith grimaced and remembered the strong smell of the parts cleaner, his vision becoming blurry as he became high before falling off the stool as he fainted. If Shiro hadn’t looked over and seen Keith’s wobbly frame, the smaller man would have hit his head on the concrete floor. “I still pass. I rather finish these.”

“Ok.” Shiro gave a small smile. “I still have a lot to do anyways.”

“What are you working on?” Keith asked as the bigger man stood up.

“My boss was having some trouble with his car and I said I could take a look at it.”

“Looked like you were more than looking it over.”  
Shiro shrugged. “It became a lot more complicated than I thought and took some parts out to clean to assess the damage. I had already called and let him know what was going on and he gave me the go ahead to fix anything that needed done. Plus he’ll pay me back by adding a bonus to my next paycheck.”

“Really? Nice.”

“Anyways, I better go back to cleaning.” It looked like Shiro would rather do anything but that and went back into the garage.

Keith went back to reading his mother’s journals. He was reminded of how sick she became during the last few years before her death and he was given an inside view of how she felt during that time. Her regrets of wasted time, how tired she had become and frail, her body losing the fight. He was finally on the last book and it was past dinner time when Shiro came back in and started on dinner, not bothering his small lover. The last one was the hardest one to read because it was of her last year left alive, most of it in the hospital. 

Her lungs were filling up with fluid again and could no longer be drained, becoming more and more infected each time they stuck a needle into her deteriorating lungs. They had become so bad that it passed the point of being able to do a lung transplant. Each breath was becoming harder and harder, feeling like she was trying to breathe underwater. Her body was giving out and she knew this was the end, but she accepted her fate.

Towards the end of the book, her writing got worse to the point it got difficult to read. She spoke of Keith coming to visit with Iverson and she knew her son was in good hands. She was ready to let go. And she did. Keith remembered that day. He had gone up to Anchorage with Iverson to visit her and she looked like she was doing better. But when they got back home to Kenai, Iverson got a call. Saying Krolia had taken a turn for the worse, that she only had days left to live. They turned back around and headed straight back to Anchorage, breaking the speed limit and reaching the large city in two hours rather than the usual three.

Keith was at her side talking to her even though she couldn’t talk back thanks to the tube in her throat, alert and smiling the first two days. Then she fell into a coma as her body began to shut down, the machine the only thing keeping her alive. After a week, the doctors decided it was time to pull the plug and gave Keith an hour alone with her. When they came back, he left the room to stay in the lobby of the ICU while Iverson stayed in the room with Krolia. Keith didn’t want to watch his mother slowly die before him and waited another hour before Iverson came out, eyes red and wet.

The young man spent a long time in Iverson’s arms, crying. After that, they went back home, planned his mother’s funeral, cremated her and buried her remains in his father’s grave. Keith tried to carry on like he knew his mother wanted him to, but his already strained relationship with Iverson became worse and he had no one to talk to. His therapist in anger only helped so much and he found himself crying a lot during the next few years.

Then Keith finished high school and became an adult. His relationship with Iverson became better and he was able to talk to the older man about his feelings. Then Lance came back into his life and for the first time in a long time after his mom’s death, he was happy. Enjoying life. Now he had Shiro and that man was amazing and improved Keith’s life so much.

The last thing his mother wrote was hard to read but Keith got the gest of what she was trying to say. It was obvious that she knew Keith would read these notebooks someday and on her last day before she got worse, she wrote her love for her son. How proud of him she was and that she wanted the world for him. And she knew her son was gay even though Keith tried to hide it, but didn’t care as long as Keith found someone who treated him right.

Keith smiled as he closed the book, hugging it to him as he let a few tears escape. He missed his mom. A lot. He would do anything to have her back. But he knew that she was gone and would stay that way. No amount of hoping or wishing would change any of that. So, the only thing he can do is move forward and be happy with what he has now; remember all the good memories of his parents that they left him with and make some new ones.

The young man stood up and made his way over to Shiro, who had his back to Keith and frying something on the stove, pressing himself against the man’s back and hugging him. The older man was not expecting the sudden touch and jumped before relaxing in his lover’s hold. Keith reached in front of Shiro and turned off the burner before forcing the man around to face him. The younger man reached up to cup Shiro’s face and kiss him deeply.

“You doing ok?” the older man asked when Keith pulled away.

Keith nodded before pulling up the other’s shirt to reveal Shiro’s chest. “Can you make love to me again? I need to feel deeply connected to you.”

Shiro gave a small smile and nodded, picking his lover up bridal style to carry Keith into their bedroom. Keith held on and settled his head on Shiro’s shoulder, letting himself be gently laid down on the bed and carefully undressed. Watching as his large lover undressed himself before settling on top of him, kissing him, devour him slowly. Softly. Heatedly. The older man stretched him and entered him carefully, keeping it slow and holding onto his small lover.

Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro and held on tightly as they made love. It seemed more passionate this time and Keith found himself wanting more. But the bigger man kept it slow and panted in Keith’s neck, grunting and mewling softly. The smaller man was in pure bliss and did not last long before coming. Shiro took a little longer, but came as well. 

When Shiro pulled out, he realized he hadn’t used a condom and told Keith. The smaller man’s eyes widened in shock before smiling widely, not all that worried about it. Trusting Shiro. While Shiro trusted him too, especially since Keith was a virgin until that morning, the younger man agreed on getting tested along side his large lover. 

They had nothing to worry about they would soon find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing about the notebooks, I was thinking of the thin black and white speckled ones you usually use in high school instead of a regular thick diary.


	7. Chapter 7

“What?! No!” Lance shrieked as he stared in angry, wide eyed disbelief at the TV screen, eyes pinpointed to where one of the many people he controlled laid dead. A snort to his left had him glaring at the black haired man beside him. 

“I’m surprised they haven’t died sooner,” Keith said bluntly, not even looking back as he smirked.

“Shut up Keith!” Lance turned his attention back to the TV and did his best to try to make the situation going on in the game better, but was losing greatly. “No! Dammit!”

“Maybe if you put their needs like food, water, and air filtration first then maybe your people wouldn’t be dying so quickly.” Keith watched the small chibi like characters run around the screen, fixing, building, and researching things as their air became more and more polluted. Another person fell over, dead and Lance shrieked again in anger. “Just start over and plan better next time.”

“I can’t do that! I’ve come so far! You can’t start over in real life!”

Keith rolled his eyes. “This isn’t real life, Lance. It’s a video game.” The native didn’t answer him and he turned to look at the brunette, the light from the screen showing the dark circles forming around Lance’s eyes. “How long have you been playing now?”

“… early this morning, I think around two.” The half native put down the remote so he could rub tiredly at his eyes before going back to playing.

Keith raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’ve been playing for fourteen hours? Seriously? Go to bed man.”

“Not until I’m able to fix the oxygen levels.”

With a huff, the half Korean took the TV remote and shut off the screen, causing Lance to scream in despair. “Go to fucking bed before you hurt yourself. You’ll think better once you have a goodnight sleep.” Keith’s eyebrows furrowed when silence followed in the now completely dark room and stood up to turn on the light. He turned back around to see that Lance had slumped over in his lap and passed out.

The half Korean rolled his eyes as he shook his head and grinned gently. He shut off all of the native’s equipment, feeling sorry for all the footage Lance had to edit later. He tried to reposition the brunette as softly as he could, but once he realized that Lance wasn’t waking up, Keith became a little more rough in maneuvering the brunette until Lance was laying down on the couch. He grabbed the folded blanket from the back of the couch and covered the brunette with it. Keith grabbed a few blankets from the hallway closet and made up a bed on the floor next to Lance.

They were currently in Keith’s old bedroom turned studio, having been there since finishing work eight hours ago. Shiro had left earlier this morning to one of the many oil platforms out in the inlet to fix an industrial heater that his company builds and sells. It took longer than they thought and ended up having to stay over night. Because of this, Keith decided to stay over with Lance tonight and ended up watching the brunette play Oxygen Not Included for the rest of the day. Hunk was gone at work but would be back in two days, leaving the two alone.

Keith yawned and huddled underneath the blankets, wondering if Hunk would know if the half Korean touched the thermostat. The large native was very strict when it came to the thermostat and had placed a rule that no one is to mess with it. It was set at a low sixty-eight degrees and Keith was wishing to move it up to seventy-five right now as he shivered beneath his blankets. He’d rather deal with this rather than Shiro’s snoring right now. 

The older man was a snorer when he rolled onto his back and it took a few weeks before Keith could get used to it. While not outrageously loud or obnoxious, it was still annoying and kept the half Korean up most nights during those first few weeks. But this past week, Shiro had caught a cold and his stuffy nose amplified the snore, turning the light snore into an obnoxious one that had Keith move into the guest bedroom for the time being. That wasn’t the only thing Keith had to get used to. Shiro was a blanket hog and starfished the bed most nights, often times covering the half Korean with his body and suffocating the smaller man, overheating him as well. Keith often found himself curled up on the edge of the bed or pushing Shiro over onto his side of the bed.

A shiver racked his body and he curled tighter into himself. He needed to fall asleep soon, he had work in a few hours and regretted not stopping Lance earlier. Thankfully, it was supposed to be an easy day tomorrow and shouldn’t take long before he was able to go home and catch up on some sleep. Another shiver and Keith finally got up and messed with the thermostat, turning it up to seventy-five. He stilled with his fingers inches away from the thermostat, waiting for Hunk’s voice to come out of nowhere or the landline to go off. When nothing happened, Keith went back to bed and moved his bedding next to the pushed air heater in the floor.

Finally warm, Keith was able to fall asleep.

…

Keith woke with a jolt, groaning at the sound of the alarm on his phone going off. He was so tired and wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep. But he had work to do and he needed food and coffee. The half Korean turned off his alarm and got up, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes, and went to make himself some coffee. Lance was still sleeping heavily, the alarm not waking him, and Keith made some extra food for the half native for when he did wake. He left a note on the covered bowl of oatmeal, putting it in the fridge, and left for work soon after putting the thermostat back to its’ rightful temp.

Keith yawned as he entered the hotel, bombarded with Merry Christmas’ from Allura and another front desk help whose name Keith kept forgetting. “Its not a real Christmas until there’s snow.”

It only snowed twice so far and it melted within two days, pissing Keith off. He loved the snow, loved the prettiness of it, the quiet. But in the past three years, they had oddly mild winters with lots of frozen rain and scary road conditions because of it. It was just cold enough to freeze the lakes enough to ice fish on them without fear of falling through. Back in October, it started to get in the negatives that he thought they might get some that would stick, but as soon as it would cloud over it would warm up too much.

Allura giggled as she printed out the room lists. “Snow or no snow, it’s December and Christmas is coming up.” Her eyes sparkled in excitement as her red bell earrings jingled with every movement of her head. 

Keith took the lists with a grumble and went down into the basement to hang his jacket and change into his uniform. He loaded the dumbwaiter and went back upstairs just in time to see Acxa enter, a long, thick coat hiding most of her figure as her eyes and nose peeked over the collar. A hat with the Zelda game logo on the front sat low on her head. From what Keith could see of her face, she did not look happy as she shivered her way to the front desk to clock in.

“I hate winter,” she said blandly, sniffing loudly before sneezing.

Keith had moved out of her way and grimaced at the wet sounding sneeze. He and Allura shared a look and the white haired woman quickly stood up to lean over the counter and press the back of her hand against Acxas forehead once the blue haired woman took her hat off. Acxa frowned in confusion at the touch and pulled away. 

“Nope! You are going back home and back to bed,” Allura ordered just as Acxa broke out into a wet coughing fit, making Keith and the manager wince. “And don’t try to argue.”

“But-“ the blue haired woman broke into another coughing fit before snorting and hacking, grabbing a tissue from behind the desk to spit in.

Allura held up a small trash can for Acxa to throw away her tissue before placing it back   
underneath the desk. “Go home Acxa. Get some rest.”

The younger woman opened her mouth but shut it and slumped in defeat before coughing into her coat’s collar again. She scratched out her time on her card and put it away, waving goodbye. Keith watched her leave with a sigh before turning back to his boss, who was holding the room list, with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s it going to be like today?” Keith asked, feeling his heart slowly drop into his stomach. It was supposed to be him and Acxa today, but she had been sent home and Keith hated asking the other workers to come in on such short notice. The only other housekeepers he could call that weren’t in school were mothers or had other priorities.

“Not bad actually,” the manager replied with a light smile as she handed the piece of paper.

Keith took it and saw it had the dirty rooms of both floors on it, the day turning out easier than he had thought. “Oh, well, good. I guess.”

“And the stays are still sleeping.”

“Ill just get started on the checkout if they’re gone then.”

“They’re not and I have a bad feeling about them.” Allura whispered the last part and Keith let out an annoyed sigh, feeling like today was already turning out bad despite the easy work load.

“Junkies?” he asked as he made his way behind the counter and sat in the empty computer chair beside Allura’s. During the winter, once everything slowed down, the freaks and junkies seemed to come out and take residence in their hotel for the night because of the cheapness of the rooms. Keith almost got stuck by needles several times since he’s worked here.

“Possibly. They smelt heavily of something and it wasn’t cigarette smoke,” she replied, leaning back in her chair bored. “And the front desk working last night got a few noise complaints of the couple.”

“Ugh.” The half native slumped back in his chair with a groan.

It was quiet for a few short moments before Allura piped up. “So how did Saturday go? Did Iverson have a safe trip?”

Keith nodded, frowning lightly. “Yeah, he called me as soon as he reached North Dakota. He seems to be doing pretty well so far. Reunited with his daughter, made amends with his ex wife, and got to meet his son in law.”

“That’s good. What about you? How you doing with him gone?” The white haired woman leaned her elbow on the chair’s arm rest and sat her chin on her fist. She looked sad on Keith’s behalf, never having met the man, but heard quite a good deal of him from the half Korean.

Keith shrugged. “Alright, I guess. Its not like I can’t call him or anything when I need to talk to him, but it’ll be different since I can’t just up and go to his home anymore like I used to.”

Allura smiled gently and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You still have him in your life even though he’s thousands of miles away and you got me and the rest of your friends to depend on.”

“I know. I just…”

“Miss him?”

“Yeah.” Keith slouched down even more and looked down, letting his hair hide his eyes.

The manager just patted his shoulder again and leaned back in her chair once more, twisting the chair from side to side in boredom. But the silence only lasted for so long before she spoke up once more. “How’s the Jeep coming? Still not letting Shiro buy any of the parts for you?”

Keith let out a small huff. “No. If he’s not letting me pay him for labor then he’s not buying the parts. He may be my boyfriend, but I’m not letting him pay for stuff for my Jeep. We’re getting pretty close to being done, just one last part and it’s the most expensive one. It’s a good thing I don’t have to really pay for anything anymore other than groceries. Makes saving up a little easier.”

“Shiro isn’t asking you to pay half of the mortgage?”

“Nope, won’t let me. Says he’s making enough that he doesn’t need my share and to focus on buying food since he’s terrible at it. He really is.” When it came to shopping, Shiro was horrible at it. Always picking out junk food more than actual food since he never learned how to cook properly except a few common dishes. But Keith, after living on his own most of life and living with Hunk for a time, he knew how to and it soon became his job to make every meal.

“So Shiro is fixing up your vehicle for free and is not letting you pay rent? I think your boyfriend might be from a different planet.” Allura giggled just as an older woman came out of her room in a robe, a towel hung over her arm. The manager smiled and bid good morning to the guest, who only grunted in reply as they walked past the front desk and down a hallway that led to the hotel’s small indoor pool and hot tub.

“Well I better go clean that room while she’s out,” Keith mumbled as he stood up and went into the kitchen to grab the large black cleaning cart. He pulled it down the hallway only to see a Do Not Disturb sign on the handle. He sighed and pushed the cart back down, putting in front of the door to the dumbwaiter right next to the front desk. “Nevermind.”

“Why don’t you go home. There’s only three other stays and the checkout can wait until tomorrow,” Allura said as she fiddled around on her phone.

“Nah, I’ll just start deep cleaning some rooms. It’s been needing done and now with things slowing down, we can probably start on that,” Keith replied, not looking forward to it. “Probably do it tomorrow too if things are still slow.”

The woman shrugged. “Alright, you’re the head housekeeper.”

Keith pulled the cart just a few feet away from the desk to the first room on the first floor and began scrubbing every inch of the bathroom, removing any stains, and moving furniture around to vacuum places that hadn’t been vacuumed in a long time. The first few rooms were done quickly since they were hardly used due to their closeness of the lobby, but that would change the further he went. 

He only did a few before the checkout finally left and he went up to go check up on it. It smelt heavily of weed, cigarette smoke, and booze. The room itself looked fine, no damage done to it other than the smell to which the guests would be charged with since it was not allowed to smoke in the rooms let alone the building. He opened the window so the smell wouldn’t overwhelm him and deep cleaned the room as well. Once done, he plugged in the ozone machine and would let it run over night to get rid of the smell. That done, he went back downstairs, saw Allura on the phone, and went to see if any of the stays needed any cleaning. All of them had DNDs on the handles and Keith decided to call it day. It wasn’t even lunch time yet, but decided there was no need to stay any longer since there was nothing left to do other than deep clean rooms. And he really did not want to clean anymore.

Keith put everything away, put on his jacket, and clocked off. By the time he put his time card away, Allura was done on the phone and looking at Keith in disappointment, obviously not wanting Keith to leave just yet due to the lack of activity. The half Korean sighed and slipped off his coat as he walked back around the desk to sit beside his boss once more. Allura smiled gratefully and began chatting Keith’s ear off, some of it lost on him. Yup, she was bored.

“Oh! And I have some very exciting news. I wanted to wait until I told Lotor first on Christmas, but I’m just too excited and I need to tell someone before I burst!” Allura suddenly exclaimed after an hour, jittering in her seat. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Sure.” Keith stared at his boss tiredly, wanting to go home. Or pick up Shiro. The older man had yet to call him when he was returning today.

“I’m pregnant.” She clasps her hands over mouth, smiling and giggling beneath them.

It took a moment before he realized what she just said and he straightened in his seat with wide eyes. “Wha-really? That’s amazing!”

Allura nodded. “This will be good for us, for Lotor. We’ve been trying for a while and with everything that’s been going on lately with him, I think this’ll be the best thing he’s heard in a while.”

Keith hugged her tightly before sitting back down. “I’m very happy for you.” He wanted to ask what has been going on with her and her husband but decided it wasn’t his business and that she would tell him when and if she wanted too.

“Me too. I’m about five weeks along, the doctor said.”

“Wait, how did you find out so soon?”

Allura shrugged, smiling brightly. “I just had a feeling and took several pregnancy tests. Then I went to see an OB/GYN and they did an ultra sound and low and behold, I had a little apple seed growing in me.”

Keith chuckled. “Normally people say bean instead of apple seed.”

“Well it’s not quite the size of a bean yet, so I went with seed.”

“Well, I’m still very happy for you.”

“Thank you.” Her smile grew, if that was possible, and Keith’s phone decided to take that chance to ring.

Keith pulled it out of his coat pocket and saw that it was Shiro. “Hey, you coming back?”

“Yeah, the helicopter leaves in a few minutes. Want to pick me up at the helicopter pad in Nikiski in about twenty minutes? If you’re able to,” Shiro asked, his voice a little choppy from the sounds of waves and the gusts of wind.

“Sure. It was a slow day today so I’ll get to stick around instead of going back to work.” A small smile grew on Keith’s face, wincing at how stuffed up his boyfriend sounded. “Ill see you soon.”

“Ok. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Keith hung up and turned to see Allura staring at him with a smirk. “What?”

“You guys are just so cute.” She clasped her hands together and held them to her chest, smiling widely. 

Keith rolled his eyes, but had a small grin on his face. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, send Shiro my love.”

The half Korean nodded as he slipped on his coat before checking to make sure he had everything. He left the building, jumped in his truck, and made the forty minute drive to Nikiski to pick up his husband. Shiro was already there, waiting for him, and the two went back home after picking up some food for a late lunch. Keith wanted to tell the older man the great news about Allura, but swore to secrecy and kept his mouth shut. Shiro wasn’t in the mood to talk anyways and had closed his eyes, clearing his throat several times and sniffling the whole way home.

Keith thought about calling his boyfriend’s boss to see if Shiro could a get a few days off to rest and heal, but knew the older man wouldn’t want to do that. He hardly took any sick days unless he couldn’t get out of bed and Keith had yet to see that. Maybe, hopefully, the older man’s boss would see how sick Shiro is and send him home tomorrow. Notice Shiro’s pale skin, runny nose, glazed over eyes, and rough voice from so much coughing, which is hopefully the first thing the boss notices.

When they reached home, Keith had to reach over and shake the older man awake. Shiro woke with a groan and dragged his feet as he walked, toeing his boots off once inside and plopped himself on the couch face first. Shiro did not look good. He looked worse than he did yesterday and his breathing was a bit wheezy, only stopping when he fell into bouts of coughing. The half Korean could only hope that he didn’t get sick too.

Keith grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and laid it over Shiro, frowning in concern. He really did not look or sound good. The smaller man went into the kitchen to grab a thermometer, cold medicine, and ibuprofen, setting them on the coffee table when he made it back to the living room. He broke two capsule of ibuprofen and put the liquid into the small cup that came with the bottle of Delsym.

He didn’t want to, but woke his boyfriend up just as Shiro had fallen asleep and had him drink the mixture as Keith apologized. Shiro took a few sips of water with lemon juice as well and settled back down, quickly falling asleep and not even bothered when the half Korean stuck the thermometer in his ear, letting it sit there a few short moments before pressing the button to read Shiro’s temp. When it beeped shortly after, it showed Keith that his boyfriend had a small fever but nothing to worry about for now.

Keith put everything away except the cup of lemon water and debated whether or not it would be a good idea to call Shiro’s boss. It took only seconds to decide and he grabbed the older man’s phone from his pants’ pocket, looking through his contacts until he found the boss’s number. It took a few rings before the man on the other end answered quite cheerfully.

“Shiro! What can I do for you?” 

“Actually, this is Keith, Shiro’s boyfriend,” the half Korean replied a bit hesitantly.

“Oh, well what can I do for you son? Is everything ok?” The man’s cheerful voice dimmed into something more serious.

“Not really. Shiro has become very ill these past few days and I was thinking that he should stay home to rest for a few days.”

“… oh. Why didn’t he call himself?”

“I called because I know he never would have, making himself even more sick. To tell the truth, he’s probably going to be very mad when he finds out I called you.” While Keith never wanted to see Shiro’s anger ever again, he would rather have his boyfriend get well quickly rather than end up in the hospital for pneumonia or bronchitis.

The guy on the other end of the phone chuckled lightheartedly, not at all sounding disappointed. “Yeah, I can see that. How about this, once he comes in tomorrow, I’ll send him home and tell him I don’t want anyone else catching what he has. Ok?”

Keith smiled in relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course son. You take good care if him.”

“Already have a plan laid out for him.”

The man chuckled again. “Good. Have a good afternoon young man.”

“Goodbye sir.” Keith hung up and set his phone down on the coffee table as he sat down on the armchair, looking Shiro over. 

Since the bigger man was mostly face down, he wasn’t snoring but there was still a small whistle every time he breathed out through his nose. Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes and he looked like death warmed over. The windy cold air while being over the ocean must have worsened his condition. Shiro wasn’t one to get sick often and when he did it was only for a day or two. It’s been almost five days and his condition was only getting worse.

Keith knew Shiro didn’t get sick from being out in the cold for long periods of time nor did he get sick from being inside a lot, so Shiro must have gotten it while in town at some point or a co-worker passed it on to him. It was cold/flu season (it always seemed like it was) and it was likely that the latter is what happened. Keith eyed Shiro again and wondered if he should wake him up to drink some more water, but decided against it.

When Keith told Shiro’s boss that he had a plan, he actually did. Besides rest, the half Korean would make food high in vitamins and minerals, plenty of lemon water with honey, and tea made with chaga mushrooms. The mushroom tea is probably what’s going to help the most; antivirus, antibacterial, and the most antioxidant plant in the world. And he can go out and grab them whenever he wanted. Keith hardly got sick anymore because of those things.

Thank you Lance’s mom for introducing them to him and forcing him to drink it when he was young. Speaking of which, he should probably make some for himself to keep himself from getting sick. Keith made his way back into the kitchen to get some water boiling and pulled out a glass jar half full of the dried and crushed mushrooms, filling a steeper with the substance. It didn’t taste very good, but as long as he didn’t get sick he’d deal with it.

Dinner came and went and Shiro still slept, snoring loudly now after turning onto his back half an hour ago. Keith had cooked a small meal, ate, and put the rest away for later. He had called Pidge an hour ago to ask how tomorrow’s room list was going to be. So far it would be the same as it was today, only needing one person. Keith was scheduled for tomorrow, but called one of the other housekeepers if they would cover for him and get in some extra hours. Once he found one, he sent Allura a text of the change and his reasoning of why, switching on the TV to pass the time.

It was late when Shiro finally woke and Keith was immediately by his side, sitting down on the coffee table. The older man looked out of it and sat up to look around to remember where he was. When his eyes landed on the half Korean, he relaxed and smiled tiredly at his boyfriend before going into a coughing fit. Keith quickly handed him some lemon water and quickly grabbed a homemade lozenge, made by Lance’s mom.

Shiro was thankful for the lozenge and gladly sucked on it, wincing at the bitter taste. “I feel like crap.”

“You look like it too,” Keith said with a small smirk to hide his worry. The older man’s voice sounded scratchy and his stuffy nose made it hard to pronounce certain words.

“Gee thanks.” Shiro smiled gently before sneezing into the crook of his arm followed by a few small coughs. “I think I might stay home tomorrow.”

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“There’s no way I’m going to be any good like this. I can barely breath without breaking into a coughing fit, my brain feels like it’s about to leak out of my ears, which I have to keep popping in order to hear, and I feel very lethargic.” He cleared his throat, sounding wet, and took another sip of his water after pushing the cough drop to the side of his mouth. 

Keith winces, knowing the feeling even though he hadn’t gotten that sick in a long time. “Well I guess that answers the question I was about to ask you. As for my next question, want something to eat?”

The grimace Shiro gives him is telling enough. His stomach was probably full of mucous with how much he keeps sniffling rather than blowing his nose. “I'll have some, ‘cause I know it’ll help me get better faster.”

“I made some chicken noodle soup if that makes it any better.”

The older man smiled lightly and nodded. “It does actually. That’s my favorite comfort food when I’m sick.”

Keith smiles back in relief. “Good. It’s Hunk’s recipe so it’s full of good stuff for that cold of yours. It might not be as good as his, but it’s still eatable.”

“Everything you make is wonderful.”

The half Korean blushed and tried to hide his embarrassment by raising an eyebrow and smirking, picking up the cup of tea to hold it out to his boyfriend. “You might think differently after drinking this.”

Shirk took the cup with a small frown. He sniffed it before taking a sip, letting it sit in his mouth for a moment before swallowing it. He took another sip, this one bigger, and Keith watched in shock. The bigger man licked his lips. “Not bad.”

“Wait, you actually like that stuff?” Keith asked in surprise.

“It’s a little bitter and earthy with a hint of vanilla, but some honey could go a long ways.” Shiro took a large gulp, finishing off the mug and set it back down on the coffee table. “What is it?”

“Chaga mushrooms. They’re high in nutrients and antioxidants.”

“I heard about these. Good for cholesterol, hormones, cancer, blood pressure, depression, energy, immune system, digestive system. My ex’s sister always raged about it, but I never really believed it.” He handed the mug to Keith as a silent ask for more tea.

The smaller man grabbed it and went back into the kitchen, warming up a bowl of soup as well. He added some honey this time and handed it to Shiro, who sipped it and hummed in bliss. Keith shook his head, not understanding how anyone could like it. The older man had a few bites of his soup, drinking more of the broth than anything else before setting it aside with a small grimace. He broke out into some more coughing that only stopped once he popped another cough drop into his mouth.

Before long, Shiro was once again sleeping, curled up on his side with the blanket tightly tucked around him. A diffuser with Breathe doTERRA oil misted close by and the Breathe rubbed on his chest helped clear out his sinuses a bit to help him sleep better. A humidifier also ran not too far away and Keith hoped it was enough. The half Korean laid back in the armchair, watching Hulu and a cup of the gross tea in his hand. Keith too fell asleep soon after he set his cup on the floor beside his chair.

…

Keith woke up the next morning to the sound of Shiro hacking up a lung, or at least trying to. He sat up to see his boyfriend shoving his face into the cushioned arm of the couch to muffle his coughing, but it wasn’t working. Keith got up to grab the bag of lozenges and tapped Shiro on the shoulder to hand him one. The older man took it gratefully and shoved it into his mouth, looking sick of being sick. He grabbed the roll of toilet paper Keith had brought out last night and blew his nose, shoving the used tissue into a plastic bag. 

Shiro looked grumpy and exhausted, still pale and sweaty with nostrils rimmed red. He held his head in his hands and Keith was quick to grab some ibuprofen for the older man. Shiro took it with a thankful smile and swallowed it down with some water. The half Korean was quick to make some more tea and a smoothie, handing both to his sick boyfriend. It’s been a while since Keith last waited on someone and he found he didn’t mind taking care of Shiro. He made sure the bigger man was comfortable and spent the rest of the day taking care of him.

Shiro was immensely grateful and thanked the half Korean many times. He chuckled though whenever Keith sprayed whatever the older man touched with Lysol, constantly cleaning and wiping things down. The humidifier, diffuser, and air purifier ran throughout the day with constant background noise. As the day passed, it did look like Shiro was starting to feel better if not much, but it was a start. At one point while Shiro was sleeping, the older man’s boss called to ask if everything was ok and Keith answered that Shiro made the right choice himself on staying home.

The day passed slowly and Keith kept himself busy by cleaning or reading whenever Shiro fell asleep, which was often. When the older man was awake, it was spent mostly coughing and blowing his nose while trying to watch TV, popping his ears a lot. He was also pretty dosed up on cough syrup, tea, lozenges, pain killers, and lemon water throughout the day to help him get more comfortable.

Keith tried not to worry over his boyfriend too much, but with how pitiful Shiro looked, he couldn’t help it. He found himself wanting to cuddle with the older man quite often and Shiro gladly obliged, spooning the half Korean on the couch. Even though the bigger man was sick, Keith still had a great time staying home with him and hanging out with him. Waiting on Shiro, taking care of him, being with him made the half Korean’s day. While he preferred hanging out with Shiro not sick, this was great too.

Yet, there was one thing with Shiro being this sick, he tended to get a bit perverted when he did talk, the filter gone. Once after breakfast, Keith complained about his throat starting to hurt and Shiro mumbled tiredly that maybe sucking on his dick would help. Keith flushed brightly at this and the dark look in his boyfriend’s eyes heated him up pretty quickly. But before they could do anything, Shiro fell asleep within seconds. Shiro said similar things throughout the day, each time making Keith blush in embarrassment. And when dinner came around, the smaller man was horny as hell and had to sneak off to the bathroom to masturbate.

But finally, the day ended with Shiro falling asleep on the couch again and Keith decided to go sleep in their bed since the armchair made his back ache. It was lonely, though, without Shiro beside him or at least close by and he found himself back in the living room to sleep on the loveseat, curling up to fit on it. The wet sound of the diffuser and the hum from both humidifier and purifier helped lull Keith to sleep.

The next day, Keith woke up to his phone alarm and sat up to grab it and turn it off. Looking off to the side showed that Shiro was gone, but the sound of the shower had Keith calming down. The half Korean wasn’t sure if the older man was ready to go back to work yet and decided to wait until Shiro came out to see how the other man looked today.

When the older man did eventually come out in only a towel, he actually looked a lot better. While still pale, he wasn’t deathly so, the circles had lessened, and he didn’t sound as stuffed up. The rasp in his breathing had lessened and he looked more lively. Shiro noticed Keith awake and sauntered towards him, a small smirk on his face. The older man leaned down and kissed his small boyfriend on the lips before sitting down next to him and the look on his face, one of pure joy and delight, had Keith’s heart pick up.

“Thank you so much for yesterday,” the bigger man said softly, grabbing Keith’s hand. 

The half Korean smiled and nodded. “Of course. I love you and wanted to help you get better. You looked terrible yesterday.”

“Well, with everything you did and gave me helped me out. Thanks. I love you too.” Shirk kissed the back of Keith’s hand with a small smile. “Do you… have time before you need to go to work?”

The tone in the older man’s voice had Keith’s stomach flip and his heart skip a beat. He quickly nodded and stood up when Shiro pulled, following after the older man to their bedroom.

…

“More oil field workers? Again? Didn’t they just stay here a few months ago?” Keith asked as he stared at the list for tomorrow. The day was easy again and had worked by himself, clocking out just after lunch. Before he could leave, though, Allura wanted to speak with him.

“It’s another group and it’ll be their first time here in this area of Alaska. They’ll be arriving late tonight and I was wondering if you can check all the rooms to make sure they’re all perfect,” Allura replied with a hopeful look.

Keith sighed dejectedly, but nodded and left with the list to check on the rooms. He wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, having not gotten enough sleep last night thanks to the uncomfortable loveseat. He was going to continue on deep cleaning the rooms, but after cleaning the few checkouts and one stay, all he could think about was going home. Maybe eat some chocolate too.

He did a thorough check of each room that were on the list, finding a few wrappers from underneath a couple of beds and a few rooms that weren’t used in a while needed some dusting. He sprayed air freshener in each room once done and went back to the front desk to see Allura busy with a potential guest. He handed the list back to her for her to throw away and rewrote his time on his card. He told her goodbye to which she replied with a smile and he left, stopping by the store on his way home to grab some chocolate.

When he got back home, he saw Shiro sitting in the armchair, looking bored and drinking tea. Keith raised a brow just as the older man noticed him.

“Hey,” Shiro greeted blankly, looking disappointed.

“Hey,” Keith replied while toeing off his boots. “What are you doing home so early?” He slipped off his coat before hanging it up.

“Boss sent me home. Said that even though I’m feeling better I should still take another day off to make sure that this isn’t just a fluke.” By the tone of his voice, it was killing the older man to sit still and relax now that he was feeling better. Shiro always had to do something, keep his hands busy. When he wasn’t at work, he was in the garage doing side jobs like working on other people’s vehicles. Ever since he worked on his boss’s car, Shiro had become quite popular with his excellent work for low prices. “And I have nothing to do in the garage right now.”

Keith chuckled and settled on top of Shiro’s lap, back against the large chest. “Well, is there anything else you want to do today?”

“Mmm I can think of a few things,” the older man said huskily, placing his hands on Keith’s hips as he shoved his face into the Korean’s neck.  
Keith giggled when Shiro’s hot breath tickled his neck. “Is that all you can think about?”

“What can I say, you’re super hot.”

Keith preened at the compliment and blushed prettily. Before things could go any further, they were interrupted by Keith’s phone. The jingle that played let him know that it was Hunk calling. The half Korean sighed and got up to answer it.

“Hey.”

“Hey man! I have some really great news,” Hunk exclaimed, sounding very happy.

“Oh?” Keith sat back down on his boyfriend’s lap and put the phone on speaker.

“But I only want to tell it once so I’m inviting everyone over for dinner tonight. I know it’s short notice, but I don’t know if I can wait for another time. You coming?”

Keith snickered. “Sure. A dinner made by you, how could I miss that?”

Hunk laughed. “Ok man. I’ll see you guys around five?”

“Sure.”

“Sweet. See you later man.”

“Ok. Bye Hunk.”

“Bye.”

Keith hung up and tossed his phone onto the couch before turning around to straddle Shiro’s thighs, giving the older man a predatory smirk. The bigger man shivered in delight and replaced his hands back on the smaller man’s hips.

“So, where were we?” 

…

“I'm so glad you guys could make it,” Hunk said after greetings were shared. He stepped aside and let Keith and Shiro in, smiling widely and eyes bright with excitement. “Everyone else is here so we can go ahead and start eating once you guys get settled in.”

The couple take off their coats and shoes and make their way into the living room where everyone was standing/sitting and talking away. Pidge is the first to notice them and waves at them, causing everyone to turn and smile at them, greeting them. Keith folded into himself at all the attention and only spoke when spoken to. Hunk’s parents were here, driving all the way from Homer to be here. Of course Lance and Pidge were here, but seeing Allura gave him pause as he didn’t remember Hunk and Allura being close. Then a long white haired man with blue eyes, dark skin, and dressed in a suite came out of the kitchen with a glass of champagne.

“Lotor? Allura?” Keith eyed the couple in confusion, titling his head to the side. Before anything else could be said, Hunk asks everyone to sit at the table, which was already set with dishes filled with food set across the table.

They all do so. Hunk’s father sits at one end with his wife to his left, Lotor and Allura beside her. Hunk sits at the other end with Lance on his left with Keith and Shiro beside him and Pidge squished beside Shiro. The large native stayed standing while everyone sat down, grinning widely. Keith started to get an idea of what it might be, but kept his mouth shut to let Hunk tell the surprise.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As I said before I have some exciting news to tell and I would like to thank Allura and Lotor for helping me finally make my dream come true,” the large, dark skinned man started, buzzing where he stood. “I was finally able to buy my restaurant!”

The group clapped their hands and cheered. Keith felt himself fill with utmost joy and grinned widely at Hunk finally receiving his dream. Since he and Lance met Hunk, the large man talked about his vision, his plans and designs. Now it was finally happening.

“Unfortunately, I have been fired due to some… disagreements.” A dark look came over his face before quickly being replaced by a bright smile. “But with the help of Lotor, I’ll still be able to finish my dream before the end of next year. So thank you so much man.” Hunk raised a glass of champagne (when did he get that?) and downed it. 

Lotor gave a small tilt of his head with a small grin that actually reached his eyes, something that Keith had never seen before unless it was at Allura. “I’m the one who should be thanking you for giving me the chance to do some thing more fulfilling with my life.”

“Waitwaitwaitwait,” Pidge quickly interrupted, “what are guys talking about? You lost me at with the help of Lotor. What’s Lotor’s role in this?”  
Keith was just thinking the same thing.

“Oh, uh, sorry I should have explained that first, but I was just too excited about the restaurant,” Hunk said as he sat down. “Well, a couple of weeks ago, Lance and I ran into Lotor and Allura at Forozos and kinda decided to turn it into a double date. Towards the end of it, Allura told me that Keith had mentioned about me saving up for a restaurant and asked how I was fairing with it. Well after a while, Lotor propositions me a deal I could not refuse and offered to pay the rest of the payment and expenses for renovations and things like that in return for becoming my business partner.”

The table went silent at this, Lance’s, Pidge’s, and Keith’s eyes wide. 

“But what about your lawyer job? And how could you afford to do all that?” Lance asked what all three were thinking.

“I quit being a lawyer a week after the proposition and the money is from an off shore account where I had been saving money my parents had been funding me since I was young before I left,” Lotor answered, looking the most relaxed Keith’s ever seen him. “There is… more than enough to cover everything and then some.”

Keith raised a brow in astonishment. “Why did you quit? I thought you liked what you did.”

The white haired man scoffed. “I thought I did, but listening to Hunk talk about his dream made me realize that that wasn’t what I really wanted.”

“Then what do you want?” Pidge asked.

Lotor shrugged, something so unlike him. “I’ll figure it out with the help of Hunk and Allura.”

“Anyways!” Hunk butted in. “Lets eat!”

…

Dinner was delicious and you could see the look of victory on Lotor’s face at his decision of partnering up with Hunk. They talked more about the restaurant such as what the name would be (Kinda Keto), what kind of food would be served (mostly low carb foods), where the idea came from (Keith because of his wheat allergy and it was all the rage nowadays), and what kind of designs was he planning on using (not yet known).

Surprisingly, Shiro and Lotor got along great and Keith wondered if it was because of their similar pasts of their parents’ non acceptance. Anyways, Lotor seemed drawn to Shiro and seemed to stick by him for most of the night if he wasn’t busy with his wife or Hunk. When they had finished dinner, they all migrated into the living room and Keith found himself stuck in a conversation with Hunk’s parents, whom he hadn’t seen in a long while. Pidge and Allura were caught up in their own world, both staring at the white haired woman’s phone. Lance had finished talking to Hunk and was about to walk by when Hunk’s parents pulled him in as well.

At one point, Pidge made a loud cooing noise while declaring, “he looks like a little cinnamon roll.” This gathered everyone’s attention as the teen continued to coo and snicker at whatever Allura was showing her on her phone. A look of panic washed over Lotor’s face as his eyes pinpointed on the phone.

“What are you doing, dear?” the white haired man asked tensely, paling when Allura gave him a predatory smile.

“Oh, nothing, just showing Katie here some baby pictures,” the woman replied, sounding sickly sweet.

Lotor tensed and his eyes widened.

“Wait! Are you showing baby pictures of Lotor?!” Lance exclaimed as he scrambled towards the two women.

Lotor gasped and literally tackled Lance to the ground before going for the phone. Allura had jumped up when her husband made his move and ran behind Hunk, using him as a shield. The white haired man was quick on her heals, but was stopped by Hunk’s bulk. The large man wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but played along anyways and held Lotor at bay. Laughter broke out and Keith could hardly believe what he was seeing. Lotor seemed so unlike himself tonight, only seeing him cold and composed before now.

Allura held the phone up over Hunk’s shoulder, showing off a picture of a small, baby faced child which Keith could only assume was Lotor. Several people awed as the white haired man slumped in defeat and embarrassment. The man’s wife took pity on him and put her phone away, snickering as she patted his back. Conversation picked up again and this time Keith found himself talking with Pidge.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working tonight?” the half Korean asked once everything settled down again.

“I told Kassandra that I couldn’t come in tonight because,” Pidge gave a few very fake coughs, “I’m very sick and that she would be by herself tonight. There was no way I was missing this.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but grinned. “Does Allura know you faked being sick or did you tell her Kassandra was alright working by herself tonight?”

When Pidge looked to the side with a guilty smile and a small shrug, Keith took it as the latter.  
“So what do you think about Lotor and Hunk being partners now?” The half Korean looked around until his eyes settled on Hunk, who was talking to his parents, and then on Lotor, who was talking to his wife with a fond smile. Lance was most likely telling embarrassing stories about Keith to Shiro by the way his boyfriend looked interested and guilty as the brunette talked.

Pidge looked between the two newly made partners before shrugging. “Eh, I don’t know. I’ve only met Lotor like three times and each time he seemed like an asshole unless he’s with Allura. Tonight, though, he seems… different.”

“I know, it’s weird. Almost like… weight has been lifted off his shoulders.” 

They both watched as Lotor chuckled at something his wife said before Hunk and his parents interrupted them. The white haired man greeted the older couple with a small grin. They spoke familiarly with each other, most likely having spoke before dinner.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this way with other people,” Keith mumbled.

Pidge shrugged again. “Like I said, I’ve only met him three times.”

Keith didn’t say anything else as he watched his close friends talk amongst each other. He frowned though when he saw Hunk down another glass of champagne and glanced towards Lance to see him staring at the large native as well, paling. And for good reason. Hunk, while handled his alcohol well, did not do so well libido wise. The native became one big horny and pushy person once he had too much to drink and because of all the alcohol, it took Hunk forever to come if he even did. 

Fortunately, Hunk hardly drank because of this reason, but Keith had been there when he has and it was never pretty. Hunk would take Lance to the bedroom and fuck him until he came, which often took several hours. If the large man couldn’t come, Lance would escape and lock himself in the bathroom until Hunk left him alone and went to bed. Sometimes Lance would just leave once he saw Hunk had drunk too much and not come back until well into the night. Keith could understand why, seeing the aftermath of Hunk’s drunken sex the next morning. Lance could barely walk and often had many love bites and hickies along his neck.

The brunette never let Hunk off the hook for those nights, forbidding sex for the next week or so. The native always felt horrible, but never remembered. And yet, still drank plenty during celebrations despite knowing what would most likely happen. 

“Hey buddy, think you have enough to drink?” Lance stated more than questioned as he took the glass away from his boyfriend.

The large native seemed to get the hint and gave a sheepish grin. “Oh, yeah, sorry.” He didn’t seem drunk, but sounded tipsy.

“It’s ok big guy, just stay away from anymore alcohol.” The brunette touched Hunk’s arm gently before walking away to put the glass in the sink.

Now alone, Shiro made his way to Keith and stood by his side, wrapping his arm around the half Korean’s shoulders. Keith tucked himself into his boyfriend’s side and presented his cheek when Shiro leaned down to kiss him. Pidge rolled her eyes as she smirked at their public display and used a finger to push her glasses up her nose.

It was late when everyone decided it was time to go. Hunk’s parents would be taking his and Lance’s bed while they slept in the studio. Pidge’s brother, Matt, picked her up and hugged Keith and Lance tightly, having not seen them in a long time. Before leaving, Matt spoke with Shiro for a few minutes and Keith saw a close friendship bloom between them, phone numbers exchanged by the end of their conversation.   
Hunk’s parents hugged the white haired couple, exclaiming they were now family. Both Allura and Lotor looked pleased by this and the two left with grins, Lotor’s a bit more watered down.

Keith and Shiro were hugged as well before leaving, receiving kisses by Hunk’s mom. They hopped into Keith’s truck and the half Korean drove them home, both ready for some sleep. Once back, they were quick to change and get ready for bed, crawling beneath the blankets.

“Goodnight baby, I love you,” Shiro said quietly as he rolled onto his side to face Keith.

The smaller man blushed at the nickname and smiled sleepily. “I love you too handsome.” He leaned over to kiss the older man before settling beneath the blankets, facing away from Shiro so he could press his back against him.

The older man kissed the back of Keith’s neck and the half Korean giggled. It didn’t take long for either of them to fall sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please drop a comment and kudos. Feel free for any criticism.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like there wasn't much conversation in this chapter and messed up a bit, sped up to finish the chapter.

Keith looked at the two lists of rooms, already not looking forward to when the group of oilfield workers checked out next month. The whole first floor and half the second floor were taken up by the workers and often then not, they were messy and horrible tippers besides a few. And when they leave, they tend to leave behind horrible messes. Not only that, they were new to this area and who knows what kind of people they were. The half Korean knew the other working groups and was used to them since they tend to stay at the hotel a lot. And this new group was mostly made up of young men with a few women; Keith was used to men ten years older or more.

Then there was a certain, familiar name that popped up on the first floor cleaning list. Keith felt anger well up inside him as the paper crinkled in his hands from trying to form fists. James Griffin. The fucking asshole who bullied him back in high school even after his mother’s death. A so called friend of Lance’s that had the native change back then. All the half Korean wanted to do now was beat the once jock with his bare hands, feel the bully’s skin break beneath his fists. 

“Are you alright, Keith?” Allura asked, cutting through the man’s anger.

Keith calmed himself, letting out a deep sigh. “I will be if this guy doesn’t start mouthing off,” he growls and lets the list fall from hands, a little worn.

“Someone you know?”

“I wish I could say no, but unfortunately yes. I do know this guy. He used to bully me during those few years in high school.”

Allura’s face grew concerned. “Oh, well… maybe he’s changed.” 

Keith could see she was trying to keep things from getting out of hand before they even started, but with a guy like James, Keith didn’t think so. “I doubt it, but I’ll make sure to be the ultimate housekeeper. Maybe to the point it’ll become annoying. If I can’t fight him, might as well annoy him with kindness.”

The woman raised a brow and seemed to agree with him. As long as he didn’t start any fights, might as well. “Smile and bare it, right?”

The half Korean shrugged, not liking that phrase very much. He clocked in and went into the basement to change and load the dumbwaiter. When he came back up, there were a few of the working guests hanging around the lobby with bags, looking as if they were waiting to leave. One stood out the most and Keith hid his fists into his scrub’s pockets while plastering on a smile. From the corner of his eye, he could see Griffin do a double take from where he sat on one of the few chairs in the room.

Keith pretended not to notice and grabbed the lists, smiling at Allura. He passed the front desk to go into the Kitchen and pull out the cart, loading it once in front of the dumbwaiter door. He started filling the cart when he felt a presence close by and expected it to be Griffin when he looked up, but instead was surprised at Hunk’s parents.

“Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Garret,” Keith greeted with a small smile as he filled a small trash bag full of cleaning rags. “Heading home already?”

“Oh please, dear, call me Remy like I’ve been telling you to do,” Hunk’s mother replied with a kind smile. “But yes, the B&B won’t take care of itself. We just wanted to stop by and drop off this by Hunk’s request.” She presented a plastic bento and Keith took it with hidden excitement.

“Why didn’t he drop it off himself?” the half Korean asked as he peeked inside the container, feeling his mouth water at the sight of a prepared lunch.

“He had to meet up with Lotor this morning otherwise he would have,” Hunk’s father, Bart, answered. “He said he wanted to thank you.”

Keith gave the two a confused look. “For what?”

They shrugged.

“But I can guess it’s for being such a good friend to him,” Remy said. “Thank you for that. You and Lance have done so much for him since he moved here.”

“I think it’s the other way around actually,” Keith stated as a few more men a women joined the group in the lobby and the small team left, James eyeing him a few times. “Hunk has been more than just a friend to us. He’s been our voice of reason, psychiatrist sometimes, guidance counselor. He says he’s a little scaredy cat, but he’s braver than he thinks.”

“Well thank you for being there for him too,” Bart said as he placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “We should get going darling, make sure those nephews of ours haven’t burned down the place.”

Remy chuckled and nodded. “Goodbye sweetie, expect a call from us soon.” She hugged Keith and kissed his forehead.

“Let me guess, wood stacking.” The half Korean enjoyed the kiss, feeling like he was being loved by a beloved aunt.

“You’d be right son. We’re getting a little too old these days for chopping and stacking wood,” Bart chuckled, not at all looking too old.

Keith rolled his eyes with a smile. “Just let me know and I’ll make sure to keep a weekend free.”

“Bring that man of yours and Lance along as well.” Remy gave Keith one last hug. “You be good dear.”

“Bye Mrs. Remy.”

“Just Remy dear.”

“Bye son,” Bart said as he shook the younger man’s hand.

“Bye Mr. Bart.”

The older man didn’t bother to correct Keith and actually seemed to like being called that. The couple left and Keith fully opened the large container to pull out a chocolate chip cookie. He handed it to Allura, who had been eyeing it with hungry eyes, before pulling out another for himself. He put the rest of the food in one of the mini fridges in the kitchen before going back to loading the cart.

Acxa walked in a few minutes passed eight, apologizing for being late as another housekeeper walked in right behind her. Keith had the two girls work downstairs while he worked upstairs. Half of the working guests had night jobs so slept during the day and those would be taking care of later by a few other housekeepers once school was out. 

The rooms that once smelt like fresh spring now smelt like sweat and stinky feet. They only been here a night and already the rooms were a complete mess, a lack of disrespect. The only rooms that were in still great condition were the ones being used by the older workers and only a few rooms left small tips for the housekeepers; usually a dollar or a handful of change on top of a sticky note addressed to them. The change he placed in a plastic cup on the cart and the dollar bills he put in his pockets.

When he finished his floor, he went downstairs to see Acxa and the other girl close to being done and clocked out. It was close to two and he was hungry so he took the container of food out of the fridge, heated it up, and ate out in the large breakfast room of the hotel. After that, he talked a bit with Allura before going home and did some chores. By the time he finished dinner, Shiro came home, looking a little worn.

“How was your day?” Keith asked after greeting his boyfriend with a kiss.

“Tiring,” Shiro answered before clearing his throat. “Guess I’m not as well as I thought and I had to catch up on some heaters that had broken down during my day off.” He sat down on the couch and thanked the half Korean for the food.   
“How was yours?”

“Better than yours I believe. Nothing exciting other than dirty rooms and a certain bully from my childhood staying in the hotel with the oilfield workers,” Keith answered as he made a plate for himself.

Shiro’s brow furrowed as he turned to eye the smaller man. “Did anything happen?”

“No, but I think he recognized me before he left for whatever oilfield workers do. I just hope he doesn’t try anything while he’s here.” Keith sat down next to the larger man and began eating. “Because I can’t promise anything if he does. I dealt with his shit too long back in school.”

Shiro opened his mouth to say something before shutting it with a sigh, not really knowing what to say right then. He took another bite of food and swallowed before he finally figured out something to say. “At least do it smartly that doesn’t get you fired. Little things that won’t point back to you and drive him crazy.”

“Shouldn’t you be deterring me from doing stuff like that or at least advise against it?” Keith asked after taking a drink, smirking.

Shiro shrugged. “I had cousins who used to bully me when I was a kid whenever they visited. Nobody believed me whenever I tattled on them and got in trouble whenever I tried to fight back so I had to get creative in my revenge.”

Keith’s eyebrows slowly rose in surprise at what he was hearing. His lovers was always one to advise against bad decisions and pull people apart when fights broke out. Shiro was like a dad in a sense. Oh god, did that mean the half Korean had a daddy kink? Getting back on track, hearing the bigger man give out some tips on how to go about getting revenge and learning that Shiro had cousins was like winning a miniature war.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had cousins.” 

There wasn’t much Keith knew about Shiro’s past other than the bigger man’s parents were both Asian, but were both born and raised in America like Shiro was. The older man’s father was an abusive drunk and his mother was terribly loyal to her husband while also very loving to Shiro. Keith’s lover was only able to get out of that house when they kicked him out for being gay; the only thing his mother couldn’t accept. Shiro was only sixteen at the time and ended up staying with his boyfriend at the time Adam. Now he was here, with Keith.

“I don’t like talking about my past much as you know,” Shiro answered quietly, sounding a bit tired.

“I know so we’ll stop talking about it, ok?” The half Korean leaned over and set a hand over his lover’s, giving a small comforting smile.

Shiro smiled in relief in return. “Thanks.”

“So onto better things; what do you want for Christmas?” Keith set his half eaten plate of food aside and leaned back against the couch’s armrest, facing the older man.

Shiro shrugged once more. “Eh, I don’t really care. I’m more of the gift giver.”

Keith rolled his eyes, hearing the half lie in his lover’s voice. While yes, Shiro was more of a giver, he like everyone else liked receiving gifts as well. “Come on, tell me. Even if it’s expensive.”

Shiro sighed before placing his empty plate on the coffee table as well. “Ok, well, I’ve been wanting a part cleaning cabinet so I can just place whatever car part I want into it and it’ll clean it itself so I don’t have to stand there for hours cleaning myself and waste time. We have one at the shop and I want one so bad. It uses boiling water and non toxic cleaning soap and even dries on it own; all within an hour.”

“Iverson used to have one.” Used to because he left it behind for Keith, who doesn’t need it. But Shiro does and now the half Korean knew what to give his boyfriend for Christmas. To tell the truth, he had forgotten he had it, having put it in Hunk’s and Lance’s garage and covered it with a tarp. It was hidden in a corner in the small one car garage that was being used for storage and full of junk.

“What kind was it?” Shiro asked eagerly.

“I don’t know, but he’s had it for years so it was a little rusty around the edges,” the half Korean replied with a shrug. “He kept it well maintained though.” His old guardian kept it so well maintained that it was almost like new still other than needing a paint job.

“What did he do with it?”

Keith’s heart picked up as he did his best to keep his face neutral. “I don’t know. I only looked through his things in the storage unit. Everything else in his home was already packed up or sold before I could properly look through it.”

Shiro let out a disappointed sigh and slouched against the armrest. “That’s disappointing.”

“How come you don’t get one yourself?”

“They’re very expensive, especially the one I want. If I’m going to buy one I might as well get a good one that’ll last a long time.”

Let’s just hope you don’t buy one before the end of this month, Keith thought to himself. “Anything else you want for Christmas?”

“Maybe some new work boots that actually last.”

Keith chuckled as he eyed his boyfriend’s boots by the door. The wear and tear on them was telling enough on what he did for a living and Shiro often found himself having to buy new boots. Don’t forget about the smell too from sweating in them all day. Sometimes there wasn’t enough febreeze, teabags, or foot spray that could get rid of the smell. It wasn’t until they had a good soak and a night on the boot dryer before they smelt somewhat good again. 

“Go to Footworks. They have some of the top brand working boots that will hopefully last longer and if you damage them, the owners are cobblers and will fix them back up for you,” Keith said as he straightened out his legs, placing his feet on Shiro’s lap.

The older man grabbed one of the feet and began massaging it. “I haven’t heard of them before. Are they close?”

Keith closed his eyes and sighed out in bliss at the ministrations the hands were doing. “Yeah, you pass by them all the time on your way to and from work. It’s a small, bright yellow building that often has stuffed pants hanging from the fence.”

“Ooh, that place. They sell good boots?”

“Yup. Bought a pair of shoes from them years ago and I still have them.”

“Are they expensive?”

“You get what you pay for, so obviously.” Keith completely lays down on the couch with his head rested on the armrest, making small sounds of pleasure. “Maybe we can go together some time and I’ll buy you a pair.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Its not really a Christmas present if you pay for it.”

“Its not really a present at all if I know what it is.”

The half Korean laughed before moaning when Shiro’s thumb pressed against a sensitive spot. “You have a point there. Well then at least hint at what you want.”

Shiro hummed in thought. “I really don’t know. I have everything I need. I have a home, a garage, enough clothes, friends… you.”

Keith opened his eyes to see his lover staring back at him with a loving smile. “Making it hard for me to think of a gift for you.”

“You don’t have to get me anything, Keith. Just having you here with me is enough.” 

The younger man blushed and smiled shyly, sitting up so he could lean over and kiss Shiro. “Me too.”

The older man grabbed the smaller man and pulled Keith onto his lap with a light smirk. “So you don’t want anything for Christmas?”

“Oh no, I do. I just don’t care what it is as long as it’s from you.”

Shiro chuckled and kissed the smaller man again, this time deeper. “Can I make it harder the right way now?”

Keith makes a face of confusion before bursting out into laughter. “Oh my god that was so lame.”

Shiro rolled his eyes. “So I’m not very good with sex puns, give me a break. Can I fuck you now?”

The half Korean snorts and doubles over into more laughter. “Ask me again without pouting and I might say yes.”

Shiro sighed before straightening his shoulders and looked at Keith in want, very determined. “May I fuck you nice and slow right now? Here on the couch? Bent over the armrest?”

Keith’s snickering faltered at the tone and sultry look his lover was giving him, making him swallow thickly. “Y-yeah. Please.” He suddenly found himself on his back with Shiro above him, a predatory look in his gaze.

“You asked for it.”

Did he? It didn’t matter right now. Keith didn’t care if he did or not, all that mattered now was getting Shiro inside him. The half Korean smirked and let himself relax against the cushions, baring his neck.

“Prepare yourself,” the older man murmured before diving in to claim what was his.

…

The weekend came and went, Keith and Shiro spending that time looking for some boots for the older man. Shiro ended up picking a pair of cowboy style boots that had steel toes, were water proof, good on oily floors, and fire proof. The bigger man had begun to sweat at the price for them, but Keith reassured him and he bought them with a grimace. While Shiro could afford them, he hated spending large amounts of money that didn’t involve vehicles… for some reason. 

They also spent some time with Hunk and Lance and a little bit of Lotor, helping the new business partners on some of the construction and engineering that needed or should be done. Hunk looked so happy to have Shiro there once Keith’s boyfriend began looking over the restaurant’s blueprints and talking shop. Keith felt so proud at that moment for his lover and could see the gears turning in Lotor’s mind as he assessed Shiro. It wasn’t long after that the white haired man offered Shiro a temporarily part time job, offering to pay for Keith’s boyfriend’s consult. 

Once the weekend was over, Keith was back at work and hoping nothing would go wrong during James stay here. When he asked the other housekeepers how everything went over the weekend, he got a few answers he expected. Noise complaints from other guests who weren’t part of the oilfield team. Smelly rooms and beds too covered up in junk they couldn’t properly make the beds as they weren’t allowed to touch the guests' stuff. Then of course some of the men hitting on the younger girls. But other than that, the oilfielders did their best to be on their best behavior.

No word about a certain guest though.

When Keith went back to work on Monday, he saw a group of workers waiting in the lobby, ready to leave and once more he saw James. This time the guy was right next to the desk so he was able to get a better look at Keith and his eyes widened when he realized who he was looking at. The half Korean though pretended not to notice him or give any hint he too recognized Griffin. He could see his ex bully was trying to gather his attention while not gathering others, but Keith just continued to ignore him; loading the dumbwaiter and making small talk with Allura.

This happened for the rest of the week. Keith would see him and the day workers out in the lobby before they left minutes later for their job. James made no move towards Keith after Monday, but continued to stare at him which made the half Korean uncomfortable. At one point during the week, Thursday, Shiro’s vehicle had broken down and he didn’t have enough time to fix it the night before so he had to borrow the truck and drive Keith to work early enough so he could get to work on time as well.

Shiro went in with him to say hi to Pidge since she switched with one of the front desk workers so she could have the midnight to eight AM shift, not wanting to miss… something, she didn’t really explain well and mumbled tiredly. The group of men had just come out of the breakfast room to sit out in the lobby and wait for the rest of their team, James with them. Shiro, seeing that Pidge was not in a talking mood decided to leave for work. He gave Keith a quick kiss on the lips and murmured I love you to which Keith replied I love you too before the large man left with a dopy smile.

The group of men in the lobby had seen what had happened and all Keith did was smile cheerfully back. He clocked in, ignoring gazes from those who weren’t trying to pretend that they hadn’t seen anything as he crossed in front of the desk to pull the cart out of the kitchen and load it up after filling the dumbwaiter. The few men that did look at him had looks of disgust and one stood to walk over to the font desk, gathering Pidge’s attention just as Allura walked in a few minutes before eight.

“I don’t want no faggot cleaning my room,” the man said, not even bothering to be quiet.

Both Keith and Pidge looked at each other in annoyance and rolled their eyes, not bothering to hide it from the guest. This made the man very unhappy, but before he could say anything, the half Korean cut him off.

“Afraid you’ll catch the gayness? That I’ll jump your bones?” Keith scoffed as he gave the guy a once over, not looking impressed. “Please, you don’t even come close to the men I like. And for your information, the housekeepers are required to wear gloves for fear of what we might catch from you. So if you’re done being a bigot, I will clean your room just as I have been and make sure you have all the things you need to keep your stay comfortable. But, if me cleaning your room makes you uncomfortable then I will have someone else do it. Is there anything else you need?”

The man grit his teeth and looked like he was about to shout when another one of the oilfielders placed a hand on the angry man’s shoulder and gently pulled him back with a polite smile.

“Calm down man, you’re acting like an idiot,” James said, not bothered by the glare he was receiving from his work mate. “You might get us kicked out.”

“Actually, only he would get kicked out,” Keith pipped up, staring down at the list.

“And you should have handled that better Keith, no matter if you’re in the right,” Allura interrupted as she walked behind the desk to relieve Pidge. “But yes, Keith is right. If this kind of attitude gets out of hand, I’ll be forced to ask you to leave so as to not make the other guests uncomfortable. Understand?”

The angry man calmed under the manager’s authoritative and chilling gaze, slumping his shoulders. “Fine. I still don’t want him cleaning my room.”

“Of course. Keith?”

“I won’t even look at the door if it makes him feel better,” Keith answered blandly, looking his boss in the eye.

Allura nodded and shooed the men away from the desk. James pulled the man away, giving Keith one last look, and the group of workers left when the rest of their team met up with them. A few of the workers who had seen the ordeal stared at the angry man disapprovingly while a few looked like they could care less; probably as long as they didn’t get kicked out.

When the group left, the white haired woman gave Keith a small glare at his inappropriate approach and the half Korean shrugged apologetically. He hadn’t meant to say all that, it just popped out before he could stop it. He didn’t regret it though and smiled smugly as he pushed the loaded cart down the hall. Pidge gave him a high five before she left and a thumbs up, all in full view of Allura, who just rolled her eyes with a small smile.

Keith was halfway done with the first floor before another housekeeper finally showed up, looking a bit winded when she entered the hotel. Apparently, her car had broken down on her way here and had to jog the rest of the way since she was close anyways and didn’t want to waste anymore time calling for a cab or waste any money.

The third housekeeper that was supposed to work today didn’t even bother to show up and wouldn’t answer her phone when Keith called. Guess someone decided to quit. But at least it gave the half Korean and Kasey a full day of work and like he promised, he didn’t even look at that guy’s door. He still cleaned it though and put Kasey’s initials down after telling her what happened. She happily allowed Keith to do that, having a gay teenage son herself.

When work was done, Kasey drove him home and the two talked a bit during the drive. Keith enjoyed it, feeling like he was talking to a mother figure and agreed to have lunch with her some time. The small, redheaded woman made him laugh with her dark humor and he quickly found himself making a new friend. She complemented his and Shiro’s home once she pulled into the driveway and nodded in approval when Keith told her his boyfriend was an engineer and mechanic.  
They said their goodbyes and Keith walked inside with a slight hop to his step. He did his chores, cooked a delicious meal, and ravished Shiro when the older man got home.

…

It was snowing, like actual fat snowflakes that were there to stay, snowing. It looked like they were going to have a white Christmas after all. It snowed for several days and it suddenly seemed like people forgot how to drive. During the first week of snow, Keith had seen many vehicles stuck in the ditch or heard of some serious accidents that happened on the highway. It didn’t seem to matter if they lived here all their life, knowing how to drive during the winter seemed to vanish.

After a few weeks, however, it went back to normal… for the most part. There were still those who went super slow and didn’t bother pulling over to allow anyone to pass. And more often than not, people are stuck behind that person if it’s early rush hour, lunch time, or time to go home from work because there are long lines of cars going both ways. It drove Keith absolutely crazy whenever that happened to him, often making him honk or flash his lights at the slow driver only to be ignored.

And then there was that asshole guest to drive Keith crazy as well. After finding out the half Korean was gay, the guy did his absolute best to make the housekeeper’s life harder without getting in trouble or getting kicked out. He has name called Keith a few times when no one was around to prove his story and Keith did his best to ignore the man. It turned out that James wasn’t the one the half Korean had to worry about after all.

In fact the ex bully has done nothing but stare at Keith, looking like he wanted to say something but chickened out at the last second. Keith ignored his gaze and continued on pretending that James wasn’t even there. During that time, the oilfielders learned to clear off their bed and push their stuff into a corner so the housekeepers could properly clean their rooms. Except the asshole. He told them it was alright to move his stuff around so they could properly clean, but then turn around and get angry about his things being touched. Then get angry that his side of the room wasn’t properly cleaned when the staff decided against moving the man’s stuff.

And who did he take it to? Not any of the front desk people, not Allura the manager, not even the owners who lived four hours away. No. He took it to Keith, yelling at him and demeaning him. When Keith would kindly reply back why they stopped moving his things, this pissed him off and made him raise his voice. But never did he dare hit the housekeeper. He took Allura’s warning to heart and always made sure he could corner Keith when the half Korean was alone, but never hurt him.

It finally came to a point where Keith would just shut the man out and walk away. And when the man tried to grab him, Keith sprained the man’s wrist. The guy was too embarrassed to tell the truth to his fellow workers and told them he slipped. The asshole left Keith alone for the most part after that, but would find other ways to get back at the half Korean. Asking for his bed, blankets and all, to be changed every day and that Keith had to be the one to do it. Leaving a huge mess on his side of the room. Leaving money or candy bar tips on post it notes saying they were for the other housekeepers but not Keith. Then there was the name calling still.

Keith could only roll his eyes at the childishness of it all. While it was his initials on the paper next to the room, it was one of the other housekeepers that cleaned the room. Sometimes the half Korean didn’t even bother writing his initials down because the guy never saw the hotel room list anyways. The other housekeepers started ignoring the asshole too when they heard about what was happening, smiling at the others while turning a cold shoulder to the man.

Now Christmas was two weeks away and Keith was planning a weekend trip to Homer to Hunk’s parent’s B&B for the Holiday. Remy had called and asked what he and Shiro were doing for Christmas and he replied that they hadn’t planned on anything since Thace and Ulaz were spending it in Canada at Thace’s relative’s place. She told them, more like demanded, that they were having Christmas together at the B&B. Lance’s family was coming down from Anchorage and joining as well along with Allura and Lotor. The place had been booked out for them so they could stay Saturday through Tuesday. If they left early Tuesday morning, Allura, Keith, and Shiro could make it in time for work since Homer was only an hour and half away.

Everyone other than the cook and front desk people would have Christmas off. Keith offered to work Saturday so as not to spend too much time off and would leave afterwards to Homer. During his stay there, all the men were required to cut and stack wood and burn brush. From the sounds of it, there was a lot of work ahead of them. Keith could just imagine the look on Lotor’s face when he’s told to go help stack wood in the deep snow and cold weather when they arrive.

Just two weeks away. While Keith was excited, he was also nervous. He knew Shiro would love the parts cleaner cabinet, but he was unsure about the dog Keith was thinking of getting for the older man. Shiro had let Keith know towards the beginning of their relationship that he loved dogs while Keith mentioned he didn’t so much, that he liked cats more. The bigger man liked cats too, just preferred dogs more.

Shiro talked about getting a dog a few times, but one look at Keith’s face had him change his mind. The half Korean felt bad for grimacing every time Shiro mentioned the word dog, he just couldn’t hold back his dislike for them. But the older man needed a furry companion, Keith could tell. Someone to hang out with in the garage, to play with that didn’t involve sex. There was just something about having a pet that you can’t get from a human and Keith knew because he once had a cat when he was a child. There was a connection, a bond between human and animal that was hard to explain. 

He had talked to Lance and Hunk about it and made a plan. Keith would get a dog from the shelter while in Homer since no one gave away or sold puppies out in front of Fred Meyers anymore, preferring to sell them on Facebook for high prices nowadays, and hide it in the heated shed at Hunk’s parent’s place until Christmas. Hunk would also be bringing the parts cleaning cabinet with him and hide it in the shed as well.  
Keith thought it would be cute to place the dog inside the cabinet before bringing Shiro out into the shed on Christmas day. He had it all planned out and hoped that it would go accordingly. Now he just had to wait until he was in Homer to look for the perfect dog that he too would like. If there was going to be a dog in the house where he lived, he was going to find one that he too would like or even come to love. He actually started looking on the shelter’s Facebook page to see what they had, but it wasn’t the same as meeting the animals face to face.

Keith sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket after looking at the Homer’s shelter page, having finished his lunch break. He got up from the table and left the hotel’s breakfast room with a bottled water, greeting Allura on his way back upstairs. He only had a few rooms left before he had to go downstairs and help out Kasey. It was just the two of them today since there were no check outs and both wanted a full days work. Keith was glad for the alone time, listening to his music and picking up the small tips left behind that were mostly handfuls of change that the guest didn’t want.

When he finished the upstairs and went down to help finish Kasey with the rest of the first floor, he caught James at the front desk talking to Allura. Keith thought it odd that the man was back from work already until he saw the strap of a sling on the guest’s shoulder. The white haired woman was listening to James with a look of concern before smiling when Keith made his way to the front desk. James immediately went quiet and looked away but not before Keith saw the scrapes and cuts all over the man’s face.

“Good timing Keith, I could really use your help,” Allura said as she stood from her chair. “I need you to help Mr. Griffin to his room and make sure he has everything he needs.”

“That’s not necessary,” James quickly said, looking a bit panicked when he looked back at the woman. “I’m fine.”

“No you are not. You were just in an accident and should be lying down right now.” 

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Its best to just listen to her from what I’ve learned,” Keith butted in calmly, looking at James blankly. “Trust me.”

James clenched his jaw, wanting to protest some more, but thankfully decided to listen and left the front desk to make his way to his room at the end of the hallway. Keith followed him and opened the door for him when they reached it, taking in what was needed. Nothing was said between them as Keith began cleaning the room, Kasey not having gotten this far yet. Some new towels, more hair products and soaps, a quick clean of the bathroom and vanity, and Keith was done.  
It wasn’t until the half Korean had finished and was about to leave when James finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Keith paused in his walking and looked back in confusion. “For what?”

“For everything.”

Keith raised an eyebrow and eyed the man, seeing the look of guilt in James facial expression as he stared down at his lap from where he sat at the small table pressed up against a corner. The half Korean walked back to stand close to Griffin, hands in his pockets. 

“I’m not looking for forgiveness or anything, I just figured I’d apologize while I had the chance to. To tell the truth I thought I would never see you again after high school and, honestly, it ate at me thinking that I would never get to say I’m sorry.”

The half Korean stayed silent for a few short moments with narrowed eyes before clearing his throat. “You made my life a living hell those two years in high school and stole my one and only friend at the time from me.” James winced, but Keith felt no satisfaction by it. “It’s a good thing you’re not expecting forgiveness because you’re never going to get it. Ever. Holding grudges is a problem of mine and I’ve held one for you for a long time. It doesn’t matter if we even become friends, I won’t ever forgive you for what you’ve done to me.”

James hung his head and Keith felt sorry for him.

“But… seeing as how you’ve changed from the last time I’ve seen you, I’m willing to put our differences aside. If we become friends, fine. If not, ok. But as long as you treat me and the rest of the hotel workers with respect, I will treat you with respect. Ok?”

The other jerked his head up to stare at Keith in surprise, eyes wide and a hopeful on his face. “Really?”

Keith nodded. “As long as you behave.”

Griffin nodded quickly and a small smile grew on his face.

“So what happened?” the half Korean asked as he waved a hand over the other’s form.

“Oh, uh, I tripped on the stairs at work and fell, dislocating my shoulder. Stupid right? My boss sent me to the hospital and told me to come back here afterwards to rest for a few days.”

“Oh. Listen, I need to go back to work. So um.”

“Oh, no no, go. I understand… Does this mean I can talk to you now in the mornings before work?”

Keith wanted to snort out a laugh at the hopeful look on Griffin’s face, but held it back and instead nodded with a blank look. “Sure.”

“Ok. Um, bye, I guess?”

“Bye.” 

Keith left the room and made his way down to Kasey, impressed by how far she had gotten by herself. The older woman raised her eyebrow when she spotted him. “What?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Just thinking the room must have been an absolute mess for how long you’ve spent on it,” she replied, eyeing Keith with an unreadable look.

“I received an apology from my old high school bully,” the half Korean said as he replaced his gloves before he started cleaning the bathroom of another stay, Kasey following him to start on the beds.

“That young man was a bully? That seems like a surprise because he seemed so sweet to me.”

“It appears he’s changed in the few years I last seen him. It looked like he wanted to become friends too.”

“Hm, what did you say?”

Keith started on the vanity outside the bathroom as he said, “I told him I’ll probably never forgive him for what he did to me back then, but as long as he’s respectful I’ll set aside my animosity towards him and even become his friend.”

“Good. Not about the not forgiving since God calls us to forgive, especially our enemies, but I’m glad you were able to put aside your differences and play nice.” She had finished everything else in the room and was passing behind him when she said this, pausing long enough to pat his shoulder.

“I don’t know about forgiving the enemy, but you’re the Sunday school teacher.” That’s probably the thing he liked about her most. Kasey was very Christian, but was easy to get along with as she did not talk about her religion much or try to force it on Keith. Her son being gay helped her become very open minded on a lot of stuff and helped her be more accepting. Too bad her now ex-husband didn’t think the same thing.

Kasey just smiled and let the conversation go. “Find a dog yet?”

“No. I figured I’ll know what to get once I’m there.” Keith pushed the cart down the hall a few feet and knocked on one of the doors, calling out housekeeping before entering.

“Why not go on the Kenai peninsula pets page on Facebook?” Kasey tossed a dirty rag on the floor to lodge it underneath the door to keep it open.

“Because just about everyone wants a lot of money for their puppies, which I can’t afford. Besides, I can help a dog in need. One that’s preferably potty trained already.”

“Hm. I remember five years ago, you could go to any store and there’d be someone selling kittens or puppies for free or less than fifty bucks out in the parking lot. Now if you want a pet that doesn’t come from the shelter, you have to go on Facebook and they sell them for five hundred or more for a little corgi.” She made a huff of disgust as she made the beds. “I guess people learned how much money they could make off of animals.”

Keith shrugged even though Kasey couldn’t see him from where he was in the bathroom. “Its not too bad because people who really want a dog and are willing to pay that much are obviously going to be good owners. Kind of keeps away the people who want free animals for bad reasons. Hopefully.”

“Eh, I guess that makes sense. Well, hopefully you find yourself and your man a good dog.”  
Me too, the half Korean thought.

It wasn’t long before they finished the rest of rooms and clocked out, bidding each other and Allura good bye. Keith did his usual chores once home, made dinner, and had a good night to himself as Shiro worked on a new auto project in the garage. Keith offered to help, but once his boyfriend began to describe what the truck needed done, things Keith had not been taught, the half Korean noped out of there and decided to enjoy a long bath before heading to bed with the older man.

…

Movement woke him up some time later, something slick sliding between his thighs as he laid on his side. Shiro’s arms were wrapped around him and holding Keith close to his chest, his breath hot and shaky against the half Korean’s ear. Holy fuck, was Shiro using him to masturbate while Keith was sleeping? This was actually a nice way to wake up.

“Need a hand?” Keith whispered, feeling Shiro tense against him and pause in his thrusting.

“Sorry,” the older man whispered back.

“Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“I didn’t ask. Sorry, I’m just really horny.”

Keith chuckled. “The only time I would be mad is if I woke up to you inside me, missing everything that happens before then.” He felt Shiro relax against him. “Now, do you need a hand?” He felt the older man nod and rolled over to face his lover. 

Keith reached down and grabbed Shiro’s length, biting his lip at the heat coming from it. He swiped a thumb over the head and enjoyed the gasp that came from the older man’s mouth. The half Korean tilted his head up to capture Shiro’s mouth and gladly opened his mouth for his lover’s tongue. It’s been almost a week since they last had sex, Shiro either too busy in the garage or Keith not mentally up to it on particularly hard days at work thanks to the asshole. But right now, as overwhelming heat filled him, he wanted Shiro. Needed the older man inside him, to be filled and taken.

Keith felt a wet finger slip inside him and whined quietly, squeezing Shiro a bit tightly. Another quickly slipped inside and the smaller man moaned loudly into his lover’s mouth. Without pulling his fingers out, Shiro pushed Keith onto his back and leaned over him, moving his mouth to the half Korean’s neck. A third finger was added, a bit too quickly and it made Keith hiss in discomfort, but a good press to his prostate had the smaller man forgetting about it.

Shiro bit and sucked along Keith’s neck up to his ear and planted his lips behind to give the spot a good suck. The younger man mewed and gripped Shiro’s shoulders tightly, feeling like he was going crazy. Those three fingers inside him weren’t helping either as they stretched him, opened him up for something better and Keith was beginning to become impatient.

“Shiro, please. I need you,” Keith whimpered.

“Ok baby, hold on,” Shiro whispered back against his ear. The older man pulled his fingers out, cleaned them off with Keith’s panties that he had taken off the half Korean when Keith was still asleep, and poured plenty of lube over his dick. He kneeled between the smaller man’s legs and leaned over with dick in hand, the crown pressed against Keith’s hole. “You ready?”

“Oh yes daddy,” Keith giggled, smiling up at his lover.

From what Keith could see in the dark, Shiro’s eyes had widened as he stilled. He then heard the older man swallow loudly. Obviously the older man liked the new name and pressed inside a bit harshly. Keith let out a long moan and widened his legs, sighing when Shiro bottomed out. The heat, the stretch, the pulse, it was amazing.

“You ok?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded and smiled gently up at his lover. The older man nodded and slowly began to moved, staying upright with his hands holding the crook of Keith’s knees to spread the younger man’s legs further. Keith raised his hands above his hands and leaned his head back as he moaned, not bothering to hold any sounds back. It felt so good to connect like this again and he wished it to never end. But he was close already as well as Shiro who had been hard much longer than Keith had.

“Shiro, I’m gonna come,” Keith mewed, reaching down to grab one of the older man’s wrists. 

“Already?” Shiro replied, a smirk undoubtedly on his face right now. 

“Don’t act like you’re not about to explode yourself,” Keith grumped before a moan caught in his throat at the sudden snap of Shiro’s hips.

“Oh I’m about to come, no doubt about that. Just wish it wasn’t so soon.” The older man grunted as he speed up his thrusts. 

Keith agreed. He could stare up at Shiro’s well defined body forever, covered in sweat and stomach tensing with each movement. The older man was really a sight to behold with his well sculpted features and seeing him in this state, fucking Keith and losing control was something else. The smaller man loved it and watched Shiro as he tensed and came inside Keith, giving a few small thrusts before pulling out.

Shiro grimaced apologetically when he saw Keith had yet to come. “Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. This isn’t the first time you came first,” Keith murmured, feeling the other’s cum leaking between his cheeks.

“I know, I just wanted to make you come first tonight.”

Keith rolled his eyes with a light smile and cupped Shiro’s cheek. “Its ok, Shiro. Let’s just focus on making me come now. Please.”

The older man nodded, scooted down, and placed Keith’s legs over his shoulders. Shiro made quick work on sucking his lover off, fingering him until Keith exploded into his mouth. It didn’t take long at all and then they were back to sleep, cuddled in each other’s arms with a few hours left to spare before work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have mentioned about the earthquake that happened back in November as well as the many aftershocks. Man, I was doing yoga at that time and almost fell on my face as the house felt like it was trying to walk. That was scary. Oh! Ignore the news too, Juneau is Alaska's state capital not Anchorage and the Manhattan street does not go all the way to the Aleutian islands. It'd just a short Street in Anchorage. There are no roads to the islands. Dumb ass reporter. 
> 
> As always, drop a comment and kudos.


	9. Chapter 9

“It’s too bad you won’t be having a three day weekend too,” Keith said as he clocked out, Shiro standing in the lobby and waiting for him. “Hunk’s mom apparently had a lot of activities planned out for the next three days and I think you would have liked them.”

“Don’t worry about me, Keith. I’ll be there Monday and Tuesday and I’m sure she has plenty of things planned for us for those days,” Allura replied with a smile, looking excited. “She told me she'd hold off some of the activities until Lotor and I get there.”

“At least you get to go,” Pidge grumped in her seat, curled up in the computer chair and arms crossed. “You get to spend this huge Christmas with Hunk’s and Lance’s family while I get to stay home and spend time with aunt Helen. Yuck.” 

“Christmas is about spending time with family, no matter how small,” Allura reprimanded lightly, tapping at the younger girl’s knees as a way of telling her to put her feet back on the ground.

“Oh I love spending Christmas with my family, don’t get me wrong. It’s just… aunt Helen.” Pidge made a face of disgust as she let her legs slip off the chair.

Keith too made a face, having met the aunt before and the woman’s first impression was not great. It was absolutely horrible. That woman was selfish, cheap, degrading, and all around ugly with a makeup mask gone wrong with how thick it was around her eyes. And the little ankle biter didn’t help either. That fucking little hairless dog nipped at Keith’s heel all day and pissed/shit everywhere in the Holt’s house. It took Pidge’s father to calm her mother down whenever the dog defecated on their nice white carpet.

Their excuse for allowing it to happen and allowing Helen to act the way she did was that she was family and lonely, having been divorced for several years now. Keith didn’t even question about the divorce, it was plain as day as to why the man left. After that, the carpet was ripped up and replaced with tile and Pidge always hid in her room whenever that narcissistic thing who claimed to be a woman came over, which luckily wasn’t often.

“She can’t be that bad,” the white haired woman said with a smile.

Keith shook his head and stepped in before Pidge could. “Oh no, she is. I met her once and that was all I needed to know that Pidge’s outlandish tales were true. And that thing of hers was not a dog, it was a rat with a wig. I don’t think I met someone so horrible in my life until her. Trust me.”

“And of course, my dad being dad, allows her to keep coming back because she’s his sister and family and we don’t turn our backs on family,” the young girl mimicked her dad with her hands on her hips before pushing her round glasses up her nose, pretending to look serious. “She buys the worst presents too. One year she bought me clothes that only hookers would wear with cheap, neon make-up while Matt got books on how to properly pleasure your partner. And dad… she got dad the same book. Mom doesn’t even bother opening presents from aunt Helen anymore, just promptly throws them away. Right in front of the witch too.”

“Wow,” was all Shiro could say, eyes wide in astonishment.

“Yeah. Me, Matt, and mom all agreed to vote her out of the family if she pulls any more stunts again this Christmas. Dad isn’t very happy about that and promises that she won’t.” Pidge sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously not believing her. “Luckily her fucking rat died last year so we won’t have to deal with it this year.”

“Pidge!” Allura exclaimed with a small warning glare.

The small girl shrugged as she twisted her chair from side to side, not at all bothered by her boss’s stern gaze. “You better bring back some of Remy's homemade peanut brittle.”

Keith chuckled, knowing that Pidge would act on her unsaid threat that she was most likely thinking if they didn’t. “Alright, I’ll bring home a full coffee tin of it.”

“Yes!”

“We should get going before it gets dark,” Shiro interrupted, gazing out the windows. It was only three and the sun was already beginning to set. “We should get there by the time night falls.”

Keith nodded in agreement. “Let me get my stuff from the truck and then we can leave.”

To make things easier, Keith had driven his truck to work with all his things packed up and ready to go and Shiro would pick him up once done. At first they thought it would be easier if Keith would pick up Shiro on the way to Homer since their home was in that general direction, but then thought ahead to Wednesday when they would leave early to go back to work and found it would be difficult since Keith would most likely have to find a ride home; Shiro would have dropped him off before heading to work.

“Already done.”

“Alright, well let’s get going then.” Keith hugged the two woman good-bye with happy holidays wishes, moving aside for Shiro to do the same.

“You can drive,” the older man said once they were outside, tossing his keys to Keith.

“Really? Ok.” The half Korean caught the keys and jumped into the driver’s seat, shivering from the cold and happy to be in a warm vehicle.

“Is Allura working the weekend so she could have Monday and Tuesday off?” Shiro asked once he buckled up while Keith pulled out of the parking lot.

“Yeah,” Keith answered. “Some of the girls weren’t very happy that she and I got Christmas Eve and day off while they only got Christmas day off. I’m actually a bit worried that they might not do a very good job while I’m gone because of that.”

“They would actually do that?”

“I know at least two of them would. I’m glad I put Kasey in charge while I’m gone, she’ll keep them in line. I hope.” Keith stopped at the light that turned onto Bridge Access Road, needing to turn onto it.

“You’ve mentioned her a lot. Is she nice?” Shiro grabbed a bottle or water from the cup holder in the center console and took a large sip, handing it to Keith when the younger man reached for it.

“She’s kind of like a mother figure. She’s actually a great person to talk to and offered me lunch a few times when work got busy. I think you would like her,” Keith answered after taking a few gulps of water. They reached the end of Bridge Access and turned right onto K-Beach, passing by their home along the way.

Shiro nodded and silence filled the suburban, the older man gazing out the window to look at the beautiful scenery of the inlet and the mountain range. They passed through Kasilof and Clam Gulch, getting close to Ninilchik when the older man spoke up again, still looking out the window to take everything in since he had yet to be out this way yet.

“So Lance’s family is coming down from Anchorage, yes?” He paused until Keith nodded before continuing. “When did they move there? From all the stories you told me about them, they used to live in Kenai.”

“Oh, yeah, they moved to Anchorage after Lance left for a college in Fairbanks and his older sister Rachel got a job offer around the same time in Anchorage. Lance’s parents didn’t move right after until Lance’s grandma got really sick and had to move into a nursing home. They picked the best one they could find which was in Anchorage and moved there to stay close. Lance’s second oldest sister, Veronica had already moved there for college along with his adopted older brothers Marco and Luis, who were just finishing college. So everyone pretty much just ended up living in the big city by accident.”

“Why didn’t Lance move there when he got back? He’d probably have a lot more clients in the bigger city.” Shiro finally looked away to glance at Keith once the inlet was hidden from view.

Keith shrugged. “Didn’t want to. He hates Anchorage and I don’t blame him. Once you live in a small city for so long with plenty of space, its hard to acclimate into something bigger where the crime is worse and space is hardly found. So he ended up back in Kenai, couch surfing with a few friends before asking me to become roommates with him, finding a cheap place to live.”

“Huh. Are they all coming down then?”

“Yup. Hunk’s and Lance’s parents became good friends after they became a couple and often try to visit when they can.” They were close to Anchor Point now and would be in Homer soon after, maybe twenty minutes at most. 

Silence filled the suburban again and it was starting to get dark quick. Luckily the roads were good if not a little slick. There weren’t many people out either and it made the trip quicker. They stopped at a gas station just outside of Homer to fill up on fuel and grab a quick snack as their stomachs growled. Done, they were back on the road and soon they were coming over a hill, the sight below them astonishing. Mountains surrounded the area and the elongated, thin strip of land called the Homer’s Spit extended out into Kachemack Bay was seen from the top of the hill until they reached the bottom. Shiro seemed to be enjoying the sights of the old seaside town.  
Sometime during their stay, Keith figured he’d show his lover around the town and the many art galleries that littered the city. He’d even take Shiro down to the Spit if he wanted to, but all the small shops and the like on the piers would be closed due to it being winter. Maybe during the summer they could come back here and enjoy everything the small, hippie like town had to offer. 

They drove through the city and turned down East End Road, driving toward the end of it before Keith turned onto a long windy driveway. The large B&B popped up once they were through the trees and Keith was reminded of how quaint the place was, surrounded by several small guest cabins on either side. It looked like everybody was already here by how packed the driveway in front of the building was, a few of the vehicles parked in front of the cabins. Keith parked close to the entrance of the B&B and got out, preparing himself for what was most likely about to occur.

He entered and was immediately greeted with the sound of laughter and loud conversation coming from the entertainment room down the hall on the right side of the stairs. Keith and Shiro followed it after taking off their coats, passing by the kitchen door and dinning area, to the end of the hallway. The half Korean stood in the doorway and took in all the people that crowded into the room, surprised to see Lance’s grandparents there; the grandmother sitting down in a chair with her oxygen tank sitting next to her. Shiro stood behind him, looking over his shoulder and Keith could feel the other’s nerves brewing from him.

Remy was the first to notice them and quickly got up to greet them. “You made it! Thank heavens! Merry Christmas boys.” She hugged both of them and gently led them inside the room, moving aside so the rest could bombarded Keith with hugs and hand shakes with Shiro since they had yet to meet the half Korean’s boyfriend. Nadia and Sylvia, Lance’s niece and nephew tackled his legs in excitement once it was their turn, having gotten bigger since he last saw them. “Please come and have a seat.”

Keith did so awkwardly with all the attention now on them and gave the grandparents a hug on his way to sit on the floor in front of Hunk and Lance. Shiro barely said a word throughout the whole ordeal and only did so when a question was directed at him after being introduced to the family that hadn’t met him yet. While Shiro kept quiet, Keith did not and quickly got sucked into several conversations with several of Lance’s family members, the mom holding his attention the longest.

Shiro appeared fine, though, that Keith took most of the attention off of him and enjoyed the interaction between them. Laughter filled the room once more, the half Korean’s joining in as stories were shared and Keith’s boyfriend soon learned some interesting things about the Korean. Like how Keith and Lance once did a stunt that acquired them to jump off the second story roof of Lance’s home onto a large trampoline when they were tweens. Keith had gone first and fell right through, the abused trampoline finally giving way after so many years. The half Korean couldn’t sit or stand properly for a few days afterwards.

After an hour of reminiscing, Remy’s phone started to beep. “Oh! Dinner’s ready!”

Everyone piled into the dinning room and filled the long table, Nadia and Sylvia sitting on either side of Keith, food piled high on plates and bowls along the table. Food was passed around, filling plates and talk started up once more. Dinner was delicious and people filled their stomachs until they felt like they were about to burst. The two children soon asked to be excused to play outside and their parents, Luis and Lisa, allowed them as long as they had an adult with them. Lance gave his brother and sister-in-law confused looks when they gave him a pointed stare.

It wasn’t until the kids began pulling on Lance, begging quite loudly for their uncle to come play with them outside, that the brunette understood what his bother and sister wanted. He tried to protest, but they fell on deaf ears and Lance soon found himself being pulled outside by his niece and nephew. Hunk went to go join them, but a look from his mother stopped him and she pointed towards the kitchen. Hunk groaned, but obeyed, disappearing down the hall and behind the swinging door.

Keith grimaced for Hunk and got up to go join him, offer him some help. Shiro hadn’t noticed that the half Korean had gotten up or left, engrossed in a conversation with Bart about the older man’s car and what some of the sounds it was making could mean. The half Korean pushed open the kitchen’s swinging door to find the large native gathering up dishes and putting them in the farm style sink. Maybe now would be a good time to talk about the dog too.

“Need any help?” Keith asked, startling Hunk.

After the native seemed to have calmed his heart, he smiled gratefully and looked relieved. “Yes, please.”

“What do you want me to do?” Keith rolled up the sleeves to his red plaid button up shirt and made his way towards Hunk.

“How about you gather up the dishes out of the dinning room, dump the scraps into the bowl over there, and then maybe help me dry the dishes.”

Keith nodded and stepped back out to gather the dishes from the dinning room. Shiro thanked him when the half Korean passed by him before going back to whatever conversation he had with Bart. Once everything was picked up and put into the kitchen, Keith began scraping off the left overs into a large metal bowl meant for the chickens.

“So,” Keith started, gathering Hunk’s attention. “About the dog situation…”

“Already got you covered,” Hunk interrupted him with a smile. “I talked to the people there about the whole thing. They’re usually closed Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but they said they’ll meet up with you Christmas eve for an hour at seven PM.”

“Really? Thanks Hunk,” Keith said with a small grin.

“Sure.” Hunk stacked several plates on the metal dish rack that were waiting to be dried. “I think it’s awesome that you’re doing this.”

“I guess I am pretty great.” Keith chuckled while Hunk laughed. “But, really, thanks.”

“No problem man.”

Keith finished up scrapping off the dishes and began drying off what Hunk had washed, the two chatting it up as they worked. Hunk said something that made the half Korean laugh just as Remy walked in, looking surprised at seeing Keith there, but also thankful.

“Thank you boys for cleaning up,” she said as she stood between them and wrapped an arm over each boy’s shoulder to hug them to her.

“Of course,” Keith replied with a smile.

“I had no choice in the matter,” Hunk mumbled and pretended to pout as he continued to wash.

“Oh be quiet,” Remy said with a small slap to her son’s arm. “I cooked and you’re not a guest.” She turned her attention towards Keith with a grin.   
“Once you’re done, the boys got a nice bonfire going and Veronica brought out the s'mores so be sure to get some before the kids eat them all. I’ll set some aside for you two.”

“Thanks,” both of the men said.

Remy nodded, patted their shoulders, and left.

“Your mom’s awesome,” Keith said quietly with a snicker.

“Yes she is,” Hunk agreed full heartedly with a proud grin. He rinsed soap off the last plate and began wiping down the counters and oven, Keith following behind with a broom. “I think your mom would have gotten along great with mine.”

Keith sobered a bit from the comment, but grinned in agreement. “Yeah, I think so too.” He missed the way Hunk grimaced as the half Korean had bent down to brush the dirt into the dusting pan before pouring it into the trash can. “So what’s the sleeping arrangements? They kept changing over the week and I don’t want to accidentally walk in on someone.”

Hunk appeared grateful for the change of subject even though Keith was genuinely asking. “Well nothing should have changed since the last time, but I would ask mom just in case.”

“Ok.” Keith placed the broom and pan back in the kitchen closet and walked along with Hunk. The half Korean went back to the dinning room while Hunk went towards the front door to see that everyone was gone besides Remy and the grandparents, who was wiping down the table and putting a new table cloth on it. “Where’s Shiro?”

Remy let out an annoyed sigh as she rolled her eyes. “Out in the garage with Bart, looking over his car. As soon as he heard your boy was a mechanic, it was all car talk after that before they disappeared. Probably won’t see them for a while if my husband has anything to do with it.”

Keith smiled lightly and chuckled, having seen Shiro get distracted by cars many times before. “Of course.” He helped Remy finish folding out the cloth on the table before asking, “the rooming situation change at all since the last time?”

“Oh dear no,” Remy replied with a wave of her hand. “Veronica wanted to switch from the cabin, again, to the bedroom upstairs that Luis and Lisa are using, but I put my foot down and told her tough luck. It’s a couple suite and she’s a single lady, let them have their special time.”

Keith shook his head a bit and rolled his eyes. “Why did she pick a cabin in the first place?”

Remy shrugged. “Her own little space I guess, but then decided that the suite was nicer.”

That is so the Veronica he remembered from his childhood. Smart, pretty, a bit selfish sometimes, and always needing special comforts wherever she went. Anchorage was probably better for her than small town Kenai, she seemed more like a city girl anyways. She used to always do her shopping on line or wait until they did trips up to Anchorage to buy brand named clothing or products since they didn’t really have anything on the Kenai peninsula. Things that were high brand names in their small area were meant for the great outdoors.

“She used to love the outdoors from what her dad told me, but then started to dislike it as she got older.” Keith barely remembered the time she used to hang out with them in the woods behind their house, building forts and capturing bugs. “It seemed to really change when she was allowed to take a couple of classes in high school to be able to join the swim team. She became more girly and stopped being fun to hang out with even more after that.”

“I was a bit of a girly girl before I met Bart. Let me tell you, when we got married, he did not allow me to sit back while he did all the work. He showed me how to do so many different things over the first few years of marriage and I’m glad he did.”

Keith looked at Remy in a surprise, having a hard time believing that she could ever be girly. She was a tough woman who didn’t like things done for her and a good huntsmen. Don’t forget about the best cook on this side of the state and taught her son everything she knew. “That’s hard to imagine.”

Remy chuckled. “I get that all the time. Now get out of here before all the marshmallows are gone. I could only hold them off for so long.”

Keith snickered. “Ok, ok I’m going.” He left the room and down the hall to the entryway, putting his coat and hat back on and followed path that led back behind the house. There was indeed a large bonfire going and everyone was littered around it cooking marshmallows. 

There was still no sign of Shiro and for a second, he thought about going to the garage to check up on him, but two pairs of small hands grabbed his and dragged him to the fire. Nadia, who had confiscated the bag of marshmallows, handed Keith one while Sylvia gave him a stick to poke into the white sugary goodness. He skipped out on the gram crackers but used bars of chocolate to sandwich the marshmallows. He also pocketed some of the stuff for Shiro when he saw how the kids were quickly eating it.

Thinking of Shiro, Keith took a chance to get away from the kid’s grabby hands and made his way through the backdoor of the attached garage. He heard his boyfriend first and knew immediately what was going on as soon as he heard,

“Pump them up… floor… let off… floor… let off… pump em up.”

Keith entered the rest of the way in and spotted Shiro kneeling on the floor with a few tools in front of a tire of a car, the tire gone. Bart was in the car in the driver’s seat, pressing down on the break pedal whenever Shiro told him. They were bleeding the breaks, something Keith did for his boyfriend often back home. It was usually a short process, but once it took almost two hours of pumping the breaks that Keith had to switch legs during the process.

The two men didn’t notice that Keith had walked in until the half Korean spoke up, startling them. “Going to be done any time soon? The marshmallows are about gone.”

Shiro jerked his head to the side with wide eyes, calming when he saw it was only his boyfriend. “Yeah, sorry. Just got a little distracted.”

“More like Bart talked you into doing a favor,” Remy’s voice said from behind Keith, the door slamming shut a bit too loud. “Bart, you get your ass out here and put those tires back on and get the car off those jacks! Shiro, dear, why don’t you go outside with Keith and have a few s'mores.”

Bart grimaced guiltily as he got out of the car while Shiro gave a nervous chuckle, unsure on how to act other than to obey the woman. They probably weren’t done with bleeding the breaks, but Keith has learned to never go against Remy and tugged on his boyfriend’s coat to make sure he didn’t. Shiro gave one last unsure look towards the car, looking pained to leave it unfinished, before following Keith outside. 

Everyone was still hanging around the fire, laughing and having a great time. Hunk’s cousins, who had been quiet through most of the meal, finally seemed to open up and have a good conversation with Veronica and Marco. It also appeared that Nadia and Sylvia had eaten all the marshmallows and Keith was glad to think ahead in saving some. They joined the group and the half Korean took out the marshmallows, handing them to Shiro.

Luis was quickly at Shiro’s side when he spotted him and tried to chat about some car troubles he was having, but Lisa had followed and flicked his ear with a reprimanded look. Shiro tried to say it was alright, but Lisa replied that their car troubles could be saved for another day. It was a time for family and getting together, not for work. Apparently she heard or saw what happened with Bart and didn’t want to waste the Asian’s time away from family with working on other’s people’s vehicles.

Bart and Remy didn’t join for a little while longer and by the sheepish look on the husband’s face, Remy gave quite an earful. They stopped close to Keith and Shiro and Remy told the Asian not to worry about the breaks, she helped her husband finish it while scolding him. Keith snickered at this while Shiro looked relieved at it being done. The look was soon replaced with surprise when something cold hit him in the back of the head.

“What-?” Shiro looked around to see who had threw the snowball.

“Oops, sorry Shiro. I was trying to hit Keith,” Lance said sheepishly before a snowball smacked him right in the face.

“Like that?” Keith asked smugly, a smirk on his face as Lance groaned in annoyance. Laughter filled the night air at the half native’s misfortune.

Lance formed another snowball and threw it, but Keith stepped to the side and it hit Marco square in the chest. The brunette’s eyes widened when he saw the wicked glare his older brother was giving him and ran to hide behind Luis when Marco ran after him. Luis wasn’t a very good guardian because as soon as Marco reached them, Luis pulled Lance into a headlock and allowed Marco to shove snow down the brunette’s shirt. The half native screamed out girlishly at the cold and tried to get the melting snow from his shirt once he was let go.

It turned into an epic snowball fight soon after and it was a free for all. There was no teaming up and snow flew everywhere. It only stopped an hour in when Sylvia got hit in the face by a particularly hard throw. It was meant for someone else, but he had gotten in the way and now had a bleeding nose. The look on Shiro’s face at seeing he had accidentally hurt a child was heartbreaking and the Asian followed the crying boy and Lisa inside to try and help while apologizing. The excitement had left when Sylvia had started crying and now no one wanted to continue.

Chatter begun once more for a little while longer before one by one, people started to yawn. Keith checked his phone to see it was late and that it was probably a good time to go to bed; they had a full day tomorrow from what Remy said. Cutting and stacking wood could wait until Monday. The half Korean went inside to search for his boyfriend and found him with Remy, icing Sylvia’s face. The poor boy looked dead on his feet and his face was a bit scrapped up from the hit, but the bleeding looked like it had stopped.

“Everything alright?” Keith asked, gathering their attention.

“Yes, dear. Just a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious,” the woman replied as she took the ice pack away. “It was just an accident.”

Shiro looked so upset at what had happened and no matter how many times Sylvia said it was alright, the sad look on the Asian’s wouldn’t leave. Keith rolled his eyes with a huff and smacked his boyfriend on the back of the head, scowling at Shiro with arms crossed over his chest. 

“Stop with the pity party,” the half Korean said. “It was an accident, not your fault. No one knew Sylvia was going to be right there suddenly and he’s just fine. It’s not the first time this happened and it’s not the last either, so please stop looking sad and help me get our luggage into our cabin.”

Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but shut his mouth when Keith narrowed his eyes warningly at him. The Asian sighed as he slumped his shoulders, getting up to follow the half Korean back out to the suburban after giving Sylvia a light pat on the shoulder. They grabbed their stuff and made their way to a cabin close to the B&B, next to Veronica’s. Remy had unlocked it for them and turned up the heat before they had arrived and Keith was grateful because it had started to get really cold. Both of their eyes widened as soon as they entered and turned on the light, not expecting the luxurious feel of the small cabin. 

It had a loft with narrow stairs leading up to it, their bed for the next few days up there along with a TV. Their was a kitchenette to their left and a folding table attached to the wall just in front of it. There was a small area in the front with a few arm chairs and a round coffee table and small wrought iron wood stove close by, a spacious bathroom in the back. The floors were made up of hard wood and tiles, the cabinets a dark wood cherry, and the sink stainless steel. The cabin had a modern look to it while still being quaint with its’ wooden walls and ceiling. 

“Nice,” Shiro mumbled, impressed. He set his duffle bag on one of the chairs and went to have a look in the bathroom. “Jetted tub, sweet. There’s enough room for both of us.” There was a tone in his voice that told Keith the Asian had other ideas other than soaking in hot water.

The half Korean snickered and set his suitcase on the other chair. He decided to check out the loft and went up the stairs, ducking a bit to fit in the small space. The mattress sat on the floor, but it was comfortable and came with an electric blanket during cold nights. The flat screen TV sat above them on one of the walls and tilted down towards the bed to make watching more comfortable. There was a small closet on the other side of the bed where they could put their stuff during their stay here.

“This place is nice, I wouldn’t mind living here,” Shiro said as he came out of the bathroom, taking in everything once more.

“I thought about moving out here a few times,” Keith said as he came back down the stairs. “Just never had the courage and then you showed up.” But if Shiro didn’t have a job and Remy asked them to come live/work for her, Keith would jump on it in a heartbeat.

Shiro got this unreadable look on his face and asked, “am I holding you back?”

Keith narrowed his eyes in bewilderment. “What? No! No, you’re not. Why would you ask that?”

“If asked, I’m sure Remy would be happy to have you work for her and live with her, but you’re not going to because of me and my job.”

Keith gave a small huff and shook his head before stepping up to his boyfriend and grabbed his hands, looking Shiro in the eyes. “You are not holding me back from anything. If anything is, it would be my job and my friends. But if you were to move anywhere else, whether or not it be somewhere close or even out of state, I will follow you. I love you Shiro and will go to the ends of the earth with you.”

The older man smiled lightly and leaned down to kiss Keith, holding him close. The younger man closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss, enjoying the feel of Shiro’s hands on his hips. When they pulled away, Keith tapped the older man on the nose, making it twitch.

“When did you become so… this?” the younger man asked, having a hard time finding the right word.

“This?” Shiro questioned, eyebrows furrowing.

“So gloomy. You’re normally so upbeat and happy… is something wrong?”

The older man shrugged his shoulders. “Just felt really bad for hitting Sylvia in the face and then I just felt like I was stopping you from achieving your dreams.”

Keith shook his head with a bitter laugh. “I have no dreams. Wishes, yes, but no dreams. I already achieved them with you and that’s all I need.” He grabbed Shiro’s hands again and gripped them tightly, looking down at them.

“What are your wishes?”

“… to have my parents back.” Keith continued to look down at their hands to hide his frown and missed the look of sadness his boyfriend gave him. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You’re probably wishing the same thing.”

Shiro used an index finger to lift Keith’s chin and gaze into his eyes. “Don’t apologize for that, you don’t have to apologize for anything. Yes I do wish for the same thing, but I can’t let that bring me down. I have you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Shiro gave Keith another quick kiss before moving away towards his bag to grab his toiletries. Keith did the same and grabbed some sleep wear as well. He felt like he should have told everyone good night before they left and Keith thought about heading back to the B&B to do just that, but then decided he would apologize about it tomorrow morning. Everyone seemed tired anyways and were probably getting ready for bed as well. Shiro disappeared into the bathroom and the half Korean dressed in a soft, baggy shirt and a pair of bikini style underwear. When the older man came out he was down to his briefs and smacked Keith’s butt when the younger man passed by him to brush his teeth and wash his face.

“Hey!” Keith exclaimed with a jump at the smack, and glared over his shoulder at his lover.

Shiro chuckled and winked, not at all sorry. He made his way up to the loft and Keith quickly finished his nightly routine, planning on his revenge. But when he too went up to the loft, his heart skipped a beat as his face flushed at the sight before him. The larger man had taken off his briefs and laid on his side completely naked with a sensual look, a tube of lube in his hand and a condom in the other.

“Wanna take a ride?” Shiro asked, his voice deep and eyes heavy with want.

Keith wanted to snicker at the lame joke, but the sight of his boyfriend over powered it with desire. “Only if I can be on top tonight.”

“Mmm, that’s exactly what I want.” Shiro rolled over onto his knees and lowered his upper body down against the bed, baring his ass.

Keith quickly undressed, almost falling over in his haste, and kneeled behind the older man, palming the pale globes. “Fuck Shiro.” It’s been a while since he last topped and he was going to savor it tonight, no longer tired.

The smell of soap wafted up into the smaller man’s nose and smiled that Shiro had prepared for this while in the bathroom. No wonder Keith heard the water run for so long. He licked his lips and leaned down with an open mouth, licking a path over Shiro’s entrance and making the larger man shiver with a moan. Keith licked over the pink hole a few times before dipping it inside, smelling the other’s musk hidden beneath the soap. Shiro groaned and sighed in pleasure at the younger man’s ministrations and shoved his ass back into Keith’s mouth.

A few more tongue pushes and Keith was pulling away with a gasp, wiping the spit from around his mouth. Shiro whined at the loss, but soon gasped when two lubed up fingers carefully slipped inside him. Keith was gentle in his preparations as he always was with his boyfriend, Shiro not having done this enough to be used to it like the younger man was. It was a bit time consuming to get the older man to relax and enjoy it, Shiro not one to like being the bottom. While the Asian preferred being the top, there were days he wanted to give up control and be the one taken care of instead.

When Keith could get four fingers inside Shiro, he slipped them out and rolled on the condom. “You sure you want this?”

“Yes, please,” the older man whispered.

The half Korean nodded and pressed inside slowly, stopping a few times to allow his boyfriend to get used to the stretch and fullness. When it came to being the bottom, Shiro was a bit more delicate, not really liking the feeling of something inside that was bigger than a finger and had to be in the mood before he allowed himself be taken. Tonight he must be really in the mood because he had pushed his ass back into Keith and take the rest of the younger man quickly before begging for more.

“What brought this on? I’ve never seen you like this while bottoming before,” Keith said through a few pants as he began to move, starting off slow.

“Back before the snow ball fight, when you hit Lance square in the face and said “like that,” I really wanted you,” Shiro replied through a few groans and pants. “The way you looked and sounded turned me on. I couldn’t wait until we were finally able to leave and be alone.”

“Fuck.” Keith grabbed Shiro’s hips tightly and used the new leverage to pull the older man back as he pushed forward, drawing out a few forced out gasps. “Is this ok?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s more than ok.”

Keith took that as a sign to quicken his thrusts and leaned over with one hand pressed against Shiro’s shoulder. The older man choked on a gasp at the new angle and closed his eyes tightly, jerking with each push against him, the side of his face pressed against the bed. Shiro wasn’t always a loud lover, nor was he very vocal, but tonight seemed different as he allowed every sound, no matter how small, out. He still wasn’t very loud like Keith usually is, but did it turn on the younger man.

The older man pushed his upper body onto his hands and straightened out his arms, lining his back up against Keith’s chest. The half Korean had to move the hand from Shiro’s shoulder to the bed to hold himself up while the other slid up to wrap around the Asian’s chest, holding him close. His movements became more shallow but he was still deeply inside Shiro and pressing against the older man’s prostate by the way the older man started to whine quietly with each thrust. Sweat had dampened their skin and Keith was sure Shiro could feel his pounding heart against his back.

Keith was close and his movements became uneven and quick, grip bruising before he finally came. He gritted his teeth as he stilled inside Shiro, wishing he was filling the older man and not the condom. But it was probably a good idea cleaning wise and not accidentally giving Remy a surprise. He felt the Asian clench around him and gasp as he came too, his hand catching the come so it didn’t dirty the comforter. Keith slowly pulled out with a groan while Shiro gasped and handed his boyfriend his night shirt to clean off his hand before pulling off the condom and tying it off. He set it down next to his dirty shirt so he didn’t forget to throw it away tomorrow morning.  
The two men fell down onto the bed next to each other and panted, enjoying the aftermath of their lovemaking. Shiro was the first to gather himself and moved the comforter out from under them to pull it over them. The older man cuddled up against Keith and wrapped his arms around the smaller man.

“Thank you. That was amazing,” Shiro whispered tiredly.

“Yeah it was,” Keith agreed, just as tired. “Mm, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

…

Keith sat up with a snort, his heart racing, wondering what had startled him awake. He got his answer from the rhythmic knocks on the door and yawned sleepily as he crawled out of the bed. He carefully climbed down the stairs and went into the bathroom to grab one of the robes that he remembered seeing last night, putting it on so he could be somewhat decent when he answered the door. He wished he hadn’t when he opened it to see Lance, who smirked smugly at Keith’s attire, lowering his hand.

“Looks like someone got lucky last night,” the brunette said teasingly, trying to peek over his friend’s shoulder to most likely try and see a naked Shiro.

Keith blocked his view and raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

“Remy sent me out to fetch you guys for breakfast. She figured ten was late enough,” Lance replied with a small pout.

“Its ten o clock?!” It’s been a while since he last slept in that late.

“Yeah, you guys are the last to get up. I know why now.” The brunette smirked once more before Keith shoved Lance away.

“Fuck off.”

“Chill dude, I’m going. I’m going.” Lance turned on his heel and went back to the B&B.

Keith let out an aggravated sigh and closed the door, turning around to wake Shiro. But the sound of the shower told him the older man was already awake and getting ready for the day. A hot shower sounded good right now and maybe some more fun to start the day.

…

“What took you two so long? Lance went to get you guys almost an hour ago,” Veronica exclaimed when Keith and Shiro finally showed up in the dinning room, most of them having already finished their meal.

Lance smirked mischievously. “Had some more extra activities this morning, hm?”

The brunette’s mother slapped the back of his head while Keith blushed deeply, Shiro coughed into his hand sheepishly. The rest of the group blushed and an awkward silence filled the room.

“So! You boys hungry?!” Remy began loudly, startling the group. “I’ve made everything from pancakes to sausage and eggs. I’ve have it all set out in the kitchen buffet style so you can fill your own plates.” She placed a hand on either man’s backs to push them towards the kitchen. 

“Sorry,” Shiro said quietly once in the kitchen.

“For what? Having sex in the privacy of the cabin or for being embarrassed in front of everyone by Lance? You did nothing wrong dear, don’t worry about it.” She placed a gentle hand on Shiro’s arm and smiled. “I bet you two are hungry after all the activity this morning.” She smiled playfully with a teasing glint in her eyes.

The two men blushed again, but not as embarrassed as before.

“You boys can eat in here if you like. But stick around when you’re done to help clean up.” She left the two alone to eat in peace.

“Did we really take that long this morning?” Shiro asked quietly, absolutely serious about the question.

Keith couldn’t help but snicker, not sure how to answer. It went from plain old hand jobs to Shiro pushing Keith up against the wall and fucking his brains out with barely any prepping. It was surprising that the smaller man could walk properly right now.

“What? I was genuinely asking.”

“I know, I think that’s what made it funny,” Keith giggled.

Shiro rolled his eyes, but smiled warmly at his lover. “Just hand me a roll will you.”

Keith gave the other a roll before he began to fill up a plate with an omelet, fruit, and few pieces of bacon while Shiro made a breakfast sandwich out of his roll. They ate until they were stuffed before they went back to find everyone in the entertainment room, planning a few things out for the day. Snowmachining was first then ice fishing and then a round of outdoor games before dinner.

“What’s snowmachining?” Shiro asked in Keith’s ear.

The half Korean whipped his head to the side to face his lover, looking at him like the older man had grown a second head. “You don’t know what a snowmachine is?”

Shiro shook his head in embarrassment.

“You might know it as a snowmobile,” Lance interjected, having heard the quiet conversation, sitting right next to the couple.

“Oooh, yeah I’ve ridden those plenty of times in the mountains… why do you call them snowmachines?” 

Lance and Keith shrugged.

“That’s what we’ve always called them,” Keith replied.

“It’s actually become a joke of sorts between us and the lower forty-eights,” Lance added. “People down there think it’s funny that we call them snowmachines for some reason.”

“Huh.” Shiro went back to listening to Remy explain in detail on the rest of the activities that were happing the rest of the weekend. Then on Monday comes the work of cutting and stacking logs, enough to last the rest of the winter to feed the wood boiler. “What’s a wood boiler?”

Keith mentally groaned, reminding himself that Shiro had grown in a much bigger city and still didn’t quite know all the things people in Alaska did to save money. “Its like a regular house boiler only it uses wood and sits outside about hundred yards away from the house. They’re too far away to heat with natural gas so they have to use diesel, which is pretty expensive during the winter so they only use it during the summer and use wood during the winter since it’s cheaper. Just gotta go out and get the wood yourself if you don’t want to buy it.”

“Oh.” The older man thought over Keith’s words while Remy finished up. It probably made more sense now that he knew what all the wood was needed for. The half Korean should have explained it before they came here.

“Since we only have three machines, we’re gonna have to take turns. So I figured we could all go ice fishing at the same time so that while a few of you go riding, the rest of us can catch some fish. Mom and dad are staying behind to watch the place. Sound good?” 

Everyone nodded in agreement and Remy ordered everyone to clean up breakfast before they got dressed up in their snow clothes and get ready to go. It was a long drive there, especially on a snowmachine, to the small hidden lake. Keith and Shiro went back to their cabin to dress in their snow gear after they finished cleaning. The older man chuckled at how cute the half Korean looked in his thick snow pants and fat coat with a hat pulled low over his forehead, a ski mask covering the lower half of his face.

“Its fucking cold outside and it’s gonna get colder once we’re on the snow machine,” Keith grouched, muffled from the mask. “Are you wearing the wool socks?”

“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll be warm enough,” Shiro replied with a small smile.

Keith raised his eyebrows briefly while giving a look of “if you say so,” and packed up a few blankets and more socks in a backpack. They met everyone out front of the large shed where Bart was bring out the three snow machines and parked them next to a lifted truck that he used for four wheeling. The parts cleaner was luckily covered in a thick blanket, hiding it from view and Keith mentally sighed at that. 

“So Keith and Shiro will share one machine,” Remy started once everyone was there. “Hunk and Lance will take another and Rachel and Marco will take the last while everyone else will ride with us in the truck. Those of you who have rode to the lake on the machines will be the first to fish while the rest have fun riding around.”

No one questioned or complained about the arrangements and went to their assigned vehicles. Two helmets waited for Shiro and Keith on the snow machine they had picked and a silent disagreement passed between them before the smaller man gave up and allowed his boyfriend be the one to drive while he sat behind him. It was the same between Hunk and Lance, but the small brunette had won and jumped in front with a victorious smile. There was no argument between Rachel and Marco, the brother not risking in getting into a fight with his sister who was known to be vicious. The rest of the group climbed into the truck and then they were off.

…

The day of fishing and snow machining ended with someone not paying attention and having their foot fall right into one of the fishing holes littered around the lake. That someone was Shiro and he started to shiver from his cold leg and foot, taking his snow pants and boot off now that they were soaked. The man laughed it off which had everyone else laugh at his misfortune and the Asian decided he was done with fishing and sat on a blanket close to the fire with another blanket over his legs. Nadia and Sylvia sat on either side of him, roasting hotdogs.

The fishing though was quite successful. Keith didn’t even bother with snowmachining since he was having so much luck catching fish, finding this more fun than a spin across the snowy landscape. With his catch added along aside everybody else’s, there was enough to feed everyone for dinner tonight. Lance took that chance to get more driving in since he didn’t like fishing, mostly because he wasn’t good at it. And brought along either Nadia or Sylvia each time, keeping it slow for them. 

When it was beginning to get dark, they packed up, put the fire out, and left back for home. Shiro decided to ride in the truck since his boot was still sopping wet and Keith drove one of the snow machines back with Nadia sitting in front of him and holding onto his hands. The driving arrangements back were pretty much the same other than the change between the little girl and Shiro. The drive back was beautiful as the sun set and stars began to blink into existence in the darkening sky, the moon almost full.

Once back, Shiro was allowed to leave to change and warm up while everyone else helped put everything away. The kids helped by putting the fishing gear away and Keith drove the machines back into the shed while Bart parked his truck in the back of it so it was out of sight. Everything else, clothing, blankets, food, was brought back inside by the rest. Remy immediately went to work on making dinner with Hunk’s and her husband’s help and it was delicious.

The day finished with a few board games that Keith didn’t participate in, he hated board games, and watched from the sidelines. When people started to yawn, they finished up their last game and began to disperse to their rooms/cabins with a round of good nights. Nadia and Sylvia had already passed out on the couches and were carried away by their parents, Remy kissing each of their foreheads as they passed by her.

Shiro and Keith didn’t wait another second to head back to their cabin and quickly undressed once on the loft, crawling beneath the blankets and falling asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole snow machine thing is actually true. One of my brothers moved down south and people laughed at him for calling snowmobiles snowmachines. And it does get dark that quick and early in the winter, December 21 being the shortest day of the year before we start getting daylight back. Kinds sucks because the suicide rates tend to go up around this time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, just life getting in the way.

Sundays were lazy days, Remy said when Keith and Shiro woke up (a bit earlier than yesterday) and made their way to the B&B only to find just a few people awake. She whipped up some Philly cheese stake style omelets, which were out of this world, and told them they could do whatever today. While she did have a few plans throughout the day, they didn’t have to join in if they didn’t want to. Keith decided that he could take this chance to take Shiro out around the small town today. Nothing would be open other than the grocery store, but it would be nice to spend some quality time with his boyfriend for a little bit.

For now, since it was still early, Shiro went to the small workout room while Keith stayed behind with Remy and chatted with her. The half Korean would have followed and worked out with him, but the older man had a routine that Keith struggled to keep up with. It often made him feel weak and would sometimes poke at his soft stomach with a look of displeasure. Even though he was skinny and looked fit, he was unfortunately not. He considered working at the hotel enough of a work out, especially during the summer, but it only did so much. Maybe if he asked, he could have Shiro set up some kind of schedule for him and start him off easy.

Maybe when they’re back home and he doesn’t have to worry about embarrassing himself.

One by one, everyone started waking up and coming to the kitchen for some food and coffee. Remy made some more omelets with Keith’s help and Shiro soon popped back in, sweaty and stinky. Remy immediately kicked him out of the kitchen and ordered the Asian to take a shower before he even thought of sitting down anywhere. Shiro obeyed with a chuckle and went back to their cabin to wash up.

After everyone ate, they all went their separate ways, some in small groups, to go do whatever. Keith had followed Lance back to his room and watched him play some video games as he waited for Shiro so they could head out and explore the town. Since Lance wasn’t playing for his YouTube channel, he would only play for a short time before he and Hunk would go out on the snow machines and ride around. That sounded like fun and Keith figured he and his boyfriend could go snow machining later today if they weren’t being used.

When Shiro finished and found him, they left and the half Korean drove them around. There wasn’t much to see and there were hardly anybody out, but the drive was nice. A quick ride around and they were soon moving on down to the spit. Shiro marveled at the line of shops and restaurants sitting up on piers above the water and the large condos right up on the beach. The view of the mountains and bay was stunning, even during the winter, and Keith parked towards the end of the spit so they could get out and walk along the shops.

They held hands as they walked, small clouds forming around them with each breath. Some of the shops had small apartments above them for rent and Keith thought it would be nice to live here down on the spit for a while. Maybe not during the summer since the place was a tourist trap and the once quietness of the winter would change once summer came.

Once they reached the end of the pier, they leaned over the railings and watched the lazy push and pull of the waves on the beach, leaving chunks of ice behind. It was nice, the stillness and silence, like they were frozen in time. It was why Keith liked winter so much. Homer wasn’t the only place he thought about moving to, he thought about moving to a lot of places; Seward, Cooper Landing, Moose Pass, Valdez to name a few. Even Nikloveask, a small Russian community a little outside Homer. Basically anywhere small, but close to the ocean or any kind of water source, was good with him.

“Hey,” Shiro started, gathering Keith’s attention. “If I quit or got fired from my job, would you move out here? With me of course.”

The half Korean furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment, wondering where this was coming from. “Why would you ask that? Are you going to quit your job?”

Shiro bit his lip and glanced away, scratching the back of his head. “Well…” 

“Oh my god,” Keith felt his heart drop. “You got fired, didn’t you?”

“No, no I didn’t get fired. I quit.” 

Keith’s eyebrows rose to his forehead as he looked at the other in shock. “Wait? What? But… why?”

“I tried asking for a raise again on Friday” Shiro sighed, looking back over the water with a look of disappointment. “But, after everything I do for them, being a team player and working my butt off, they still said no. They made up several excuses as to why they can’t, but I know it’s because they just don’t want to. So I quit, I’m done dealing with their BS.”

Keith scooted closer to his lover, watching the water. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“...”

“… what are you going to do now?”

Shiro shrugged. “I thought about getting a business license and just work on cars out of my garage, become a mechanic like I once set out to do. But…” 

Keith looked up when Shiro quieted and his eyes widened when he saw the older man staring at him with an unreadable look. “You, you’re not holding back because of me, are you?”

“No, no. I just…” Shiro let an aggravated huff. “I guess after hearing you say that you thought about moving here made me think that maybe I should hold off and talk to you first.”

“So I am the reason.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But it’s true.” 

“But not for bad reasons. Besides, I can still get my mechanic license and work out here. Maybe Bart will even let me use his shed until I can find my own garage.”

Keith didn’t say anything as he looked down, chewing on his lower lip, thinking. Shiro moved to Alaska because of him, but the older man had no home to go back to so it wasn’t a bad thing. Then Shiro bought the house that Keith liked instead of the more fancier, ready to move in one. Now Shiro was willing to move again for Keith, to a place where he probably wouldn’t get as many mechanic jobs as he would where they live now.

“Keith?”

The half Korean looked back up at Shiro, seeing uncertainty in those eyes. “Hm?”

“You are not a burden, if that’s what you’re thinking and like you said last night, I will go wherever you go,” Shiro said quietly. “If you want to, we can move here. It might be a while before we can, but I’ll make it happen.”

Keith felt his heart stutter in his chest and smiled lightly, looking down for only a second before gazing back up at his boyfriend. “As nice as that sounds and as much as I like it here, I love where we live now. We got the view of the inlet, with plenty of space between us and the neighbors. There is more stuff to do there than here and there are more costumers for you than there will be in Homer.”

“Are you sure? Last night you seemed like you really wanted to.”

Keith nodded. “I’m sure.” But he wasn’t. He would love to move here, but there wasn’t much for the older man here. For Keith, yes, but not Shiro. While the bigger man could easily adapt, the half Korean didn’t want him to have to. Shiro gave up a lot for Keith; it was time for the younger man to do the same. “But maybe we can visit plenty during the summer.”

Shiro grinned widely and nodded. “I would like that.”

“Good. Can we go now? It’s fucking cold.” Keith spun on his heel and started on his way back to the suburban. As much as he loved winter, he hated the cold that came with it.

Shiro jogged after him with a chuckle, slowing to a walk when he reached the smaller man’s side. He wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist and the half Korean pressed against his boyfriend’s side. While disappointed in not taking the chance that was given to him, Keith was happy he was able to do something for Shiro and allowed it to over shine his dispiritedness. They got back into the vehicle and drove back to the B&B and everyone was sitting in the entertainment room playing board games or cards.

Shiro looked interested, but Keith grimaced and left before anyone could try to rope him into a game. The older man followed after him, but Keith stopped him and told him to go play a few games and spend some time getting to know his friend’s families. Shiro looked unsure when Keith also said that it was fine and that he would be in Lance’s room playing video games. The older man still looked unsure, but turned around anyways and went back to the entertainment room.

Keith finished his trek up the stairs to his friend’s room and saw that Sylvia was already there, playing Halo. Nadia was beside him, watching, and when she spotted the half Korean she patted the empty spot beside her. He joined the two kids and asked if they could play multiplayer to which Sylvia gladly agreed to. They shared their lunch with him, making Keith remember he had forgotten about lunch and hoped Shiro was eating something as well. The half Korean was about to go down and check, but Silvia’s excited shouts and Nadia’s cheering pulled him back in.

…

Monday morning came and everyone was up by nine to eat breakfast and start on chopping and stacking wood. Lotor and Allura were supposed to show up an hour later, the white haired man joining them once they arrived. Keith didn’t dress up as warmly because he knew he was going to overheat while using his strength most of the day while using a large chainsaw. Hunk was doing the same along with Luis, the three of them sawing the wood while the rest stacked it in the lean-to on the side of the shed.

Bart showed them around the other side of the shed and showed the large three piles of trees that needed de-branching first before they could cut into them. Meaning, another large bonfire to burn the brush. They cleared off an area far enough away from the any buildings before the three men handling the chainsaws started on separate piles, turning trees to cut off the branches and throwing them aside for someone to grab and drag them away.

They had just started when the white haired couple pulled up in front of the building. No one noticed until the newcomers made their way around back, following the noise, in time to see Keith throw his head back and let out a maniacal laugh that was hard to hear over the revving of the chainsaw, standing on top of his wood pile. The half Korean noticed the couple and flushed in embarrassment, turning off his chainsaw so he could get down and greet them. Everyone else followed his gaze and excitedly welcomed Lotor and Allura, Remy the first to reach them.

After introductions and greetings were shared, Remy showed the couple inside to a room they would be sleeping in and helped them with their luggage. It wasn’t long before Lotor was suddenly kicked out and ordered to help with the wood, making the white haired man pale and look down at his long wool coat and not warm enough boots. Bart noticed and wrapped an arm around Lotor's shoulders to drag him back inside, help find some winter clothes and boots, and brought him back out. The white haired man looked ridiculous in his bright multicolor jacket, purple snowpants, and bunny boots that looked like white bricks on the man’s feet. You could see the mortification on Lotor’s face as he walked over to them, the boots making it difficult.

Keith felt pity for him and made his way over to him, knowing exactly how annoying bunny boots were. While they’ll keep your feet warm in negative weather, it felt like you had weights on your feet. “What size shoe do you wear?”

Lotor looked over to him with a raised brow. “Elevens. Why?”

Damn, a size too big. “I was going to ask if you wanted to change boots, but I’m a size ten.”

While the white haired man didn’t smile, he looked grateful for the offer. “Thank you, but I’ll be ok. Bart said it’ll be a while before I got used to it.”

“Ok.”

“So what do I need to do?”

“Well for now, we need to start moving the branches off to that pile we started over there. Then once we get one tree finished, we’ll start cutting them and people can start coming and grabbing them to stack them in the lean-to over there. There’s still going to be brush through out so you can stack or burn brush or both. Hunk, Luis, and I will cut the wood.”

Lotor nodded and strode off to start gathering brush.

Keith was impressed on how quickly the white haired man took on his role without complaint and went back to cutting wood. When one tree was finished, he cut into it in even lengths but stopped before he went all the way through so his chain didn’t hit into other trees or the ground. He used his foot to roll it over and finish the cuts, someone coming up along side him to grab the logs when it was considered safe. Anything that was a bit too heavy was picked up by one of the stronger men or rolled across the ground to the stacked wood. They had several breaks throughout so the three men could sharpen the chains and make cutting easier again.

Lotor was proving his worth that day, stacking logs, gathering brush, attending to Remy’s every beck and call. He was never in one place for too long. He soon disappeared just before lunch before coming back out with Remy and Abby, Lance’s mom, all carrying trays full of sandwiches and hot chocolate. Everyone took a quick break to eat before getting back to it, wanting to finish it quickly. Keith did have plans with a dog later tonight.

The further the day progressed, the heavier the chainsaw seemed to get and the weaker his arms seemed to become. He was sweating profusely, his hot body steaming in the cold air when he took his coat off to cool down. His safety glasses kept fogging up and finally flung them over his shoulder, risk getting sawdust in his eyes as he cut into the wood. But so far, he was ahead of Luis and Hunk on his pile and evening was closing in.

It was getting dark when they finally finished and everyone was sore, wanting to collapse where they stood or when they got into the B&B, but no one was allowed to sit anywhere until they had changed out of there wood chipped covered clothes. They went their separate ways and Keith gladly changed into a pair of soft black leggings and a plain white tank under a baggy red t shirt that slipped over one shoulder. Shiro changed into a pair of black sweats and black shirt and the two headed back into the main building, finding everyone in the dinning room to eat an early dinner.

Allura was enjoying the spotlight while Lotor seemed a bit uncomfortable, smiling politely and nodding to whoever was speaking to him. The white haired woman got along great with Lisa and absolutely enjoyed her children, who loved her back and were fasinated by Lotor. Nadia and Sylvia would not leave him alone and Lotor was trying his best to stay nice and not tell the children to shove off. His savior came in the form of Luis, who promptly told them to go bother someone else. That someone turned into Shiro, who didn’t seem to mind it in the least.

“So why exactly did you move from London?” Abby asked politely after dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

“Well, my father bought a building in Juneau and Anchorage for his fishery business and he absolutely loved the scenery and the hardworking attitude of the people here. He wanted to move here, but my mother did not and what she wants she gets,” Allura started with a grin, moving her own napkin from her lap. “But whenever he had to come here, he brought me and I saw his appeal in this place. I fell in love too and as soon as I finished college, I moved here and became an American citizen.”

“Wait, your father doesn’t happen to be Alfor, is he?” Remy asked. “Owner of Al’s Fishery?”

Allura nodded. “Yes, he is.”

“What in holy Moses’s name are you doing working in a hotel and not for your father? I’m sure you have the money? Especially being married to Lotor,” Hunk's mother asked in bewilderment.

“I was never really into it and I wanted to make it on my own. And when work for a manager position came up, I took it. It may be a bit hard at times, but I enjoy it.” The white haired woman grinned and thanked Lisa when see grabbed Allura's plate.

“And she’s so good at it,” Keith added.

“As are you, Keith when you put some effort into it.”

The half Korean narrowed his eyes a bit. “I don’t know if you’re complimenting me or insulting.”

“A compliment, of course.” The tone of her voice said otherwise, but it made Keith chuckle.

“What about you, Lotor? Why did you decide to move here?” Luis asked, leaning back in his chair with one arm slung over the back of his wife’s chair.

The white haired man looked uncomfortable with the question, but answered anyways. “Wanted to try something different.” That wasn’t the half of it, but the group could tell that was all they were getting and didn’t ask for any more.

“So why didn’t you visit your father or have him come here for Christmas?” Abby asked Allura, moving the questioning back to the woman.

Allura giggled before she spoke. “I didn’t have enough to buy a ticket and I didn’t want Lotor buying me one. And my father didn’t come here because he’s a bit busy wooing his lover into marrying him. I think it might have been good that I couldn’t go.”

“Really? That’s sweet,” Lisa cooed. “I’m glad he could move on after… you know. Do you like her?”

“It's he, actually, and yes I do like him. He’s been in my life since I was young and always by my father’s side. I’m actually not surprised they got together.” Allura chuckled as she placed hand over her husband’s thigh, leaning in close to him.

The group’s eyes widened in surprise at her, except Lotor's, and Allura shrugged.   
Conversation continued and Remy asked for Keith to help with something in he kitchen. It was a lie, of course, to get Keith out of the building without Shiro noticing or asking a bunch of questions. If needed, Remy had a story at the ready in case Shiro comes looking for him. The half Korean quickly slipped on his coat and shoes and took Remy’s car, with permission of course, to the shelter in town.

A young woman was waiting for him and let him in after asking for his name. She brought him to the back where the dogs were held and whines and barking immediately assaulted his ears. So many exited dogs waiting for a forever home. They were mostly mixes or half breeds, which explained a few things; people mostly wanted pure breeds these days. Too bad pure breeds come with a lot of health problems that could be passed down if they’re bred or studded out. More than a few drew his eyes to them with their own eyes or fur.

As he walked down between the kennels, his eyes caught what looked liked a sleeping wolf, its' back to him. Keith paused and stepped up to the chainlinked door, looking inside to get a better look. The dog’s ears twitched when he walked to the kennel and lifted its’ head to look over its' shoulder, looking up at Keith. Brilliant, light blue eyes stared at him, sadness hidden in them. 

“What kind of dog is this one?” Keith asked the woman.

The woman, who had been checking up on a few other dogs, came over and gave the dog a look of pity. “He’s a Utonagan, a mix of breeds to look specifically like a wolf. He’s such a good boy, but people are too afraid of him. I would take him, but I already have four.”

Keith tilted his head as the dog sniffed and laid its’ head back down. “He's very pretty.” The Utonagan was black and white with most of his whiteness on his back and fluffy tail, including his forehead. Its’ fur was thick mostly around his neck, back and tail and barely looked a year old.

“He is,” she agreed. “Want to see him?”

“Yeah.” Keith moved out of the way to allow the woman room to unlock the door and open it for him. He stepped inside and jumped when the dog quickly looked over its’ shoulder again at the sound of his footsteps. Keith only moved when the dog’s tail started to wag and kneeled down beside it.

The wolf like dog slowly got up with a yawn, stretching, before it moved close enough to sniff at Keith’s hand. It must have liked what it smelled because the dog shoved its’ head beneath the hand, wanting to be petted. Keith obliged and began rubbing the dog’s head and neck, making it pant with closed eyes. The half Korean chuckled, in awe of how soft the fur was and wrapped his arms around the pup. The dog leaned its’ head down on Keith’s shoulder and he knew this was the one. Something came over him that he couldn’t explain, but he wanted this dog.

“What’s his name?” Keith asked, rubbing a hand down the pup’s back.

“Well, we call him Clancy,” the woman stated, earning a disapproving snort from the dog. 

“That’s not a name for a dog,” Keith said to the dog, who tried licking his face. “That’s a name for a proper dog, but you’re not a proper dog are you? No, you’re just a big baby aren’t you?” He cooed as the dog climbed into his lap and whined for attention. “I always wanted to name a pet Kosmo. What about that, you like that?”

The dog gave a whiny bark, tail thumping on the floor.

Keith chuckled and hugged the pup, Kosmo, tightly. “Want to come home with me?” He received another bark and paw on a thigh.

“Shall we head up front and get the paper work out of the way?” the woman asked with a bright smile, holding out a leash.

Keith nodded and slipped the leash over Kosmo’s head. He stepped out of the kennel and the pup followed closely behind, doing surprisingly well on the leash. Kosmo stayed right next to him the whole way and sat down patiently as he waited for his owner to sign a couple of papers. Keith learned that Kosmo just turned one year a few weeks ago and already had his shots and was neutered. The poor pup was abandoned on the side of the road and had been at the shelter for quite some time. Keith was the first to show any interest in the dog.

After the paperwork and payment, the half Korean brought Kosmo out to the car and opened the front passenger door for him, the dog immediately jumped inside and sat down on he seat. Keith slipped the leash off and handed it back to the woman, thanking her. He left to go back to the B&B, stopping by Safeway to pick up some supplies for his new friend.   
When he got back, he quickly brought Kosmo to the shed and laid down a few blankets for the dog along with a bowl of water and food.

“You stay here and be quiet,” Keith gently commanded. “Its just for tonight, ok?”

Kosmo whined and laid down on his bed with a huff, making the half Korean chuckle. He gave the pup a pat on the head before leaving to go back to the main building, pausing just long enough to see if he would hear Kosmo barking. When nothing sounded, he finished the trek back to the building and snuck inside. People were still in the dinning room and Keith peeked in. Shiro was still there, talking to Bart and Lance’s dad, Allen, explaining in depth about a project he was working on on someone’s truck.  
Remy was still in the kitchen so Keith moved away before he was noticed to join her. She was reading a book when he entered, a steaming pie sitting on the island beside her. She looked up and grinned when she saw that it was Keith, standing up.

“So how’d it go?” she asked excitedly. 

“Went pretty well,” Keith answered with a small smile. “Think I found myself a good one.”

“You mean found Shiro a good one.” Remy winked knowingly, smirking.

“That’s what I meant. So what’s with the pie?” His voice hitched as he turned the focus onto something else, looking away from Remy’s all seeing eyes.

She chuckled as she walked over to one of the many cabinets and grabbed a tray to place the pie, ice cream, plates, and utensils on. She handed it to Keith and led him to the dinning room. “Needed a story, remember?”

The half Korean huffed out a small laugh and slipped into the dinning room, gathering everyone’s attention at the smell of pie. Bart was quick to cut it evenly between them all once Keith set it down on the table and the carton of vanilla ice cream was passed around, melting over the apple pie. Shiro was surprised to see him as if he didn’t know his boyfriend had left and would have asked on where he'd gone if not for the pie. Keith took his seat next to him and gladly ate his slice of pie, knowing there would be no wheat in the crust since Remy knew his allergy.

Lotor looked at his slice quizzically like he had never seen a pie before and took a bite. A look of surprise and bliss fell over his face and he ate slowly to savor it while Allura ate hers in record time. Conversation took over once more before Luis and Lisa decided it was time for the kids to go to bed and Veronica wanted to take a nice long bath for her sore muscles. Rachel left to go FaceTime her boyfriend and Marco had already tuned out a while ago, playing around on a tablet. While not late, everyone decided to go to bed to prepare for an early morning. It was Christmas tomorrow and the kids will most likely wake everyone up early from excitement.

Everyone bid goodnight to each other and went their separate ways. Shiro and Keith made it to their cabin and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. 

…

Keith woke early the next morning, sore in his lower back and hips. Shiro was already up and watching TV, still naked underneath the covers and drinking coffee. The older man noticed his lover was awake and leaned over to kiss Keith, bidding him good morning. The half Korean bid him good morning in return and looked on his phone to see what time it was, blinking rapidly as the screen lit up and blinded him. It was pretty early and it didn't surprise him that he woke up at six in the morning since they went to bed early last night.

The younger man stood up with a stretch before making his way down the stairs to use the bathroom. He glanced out the window to see only a few lights on in the B&B, only a few people up. When he came back out of the bathroom, he saw Shiro climbing down the stairs, dressed in his workout clothes. Keith asked for him to wait so he could go with him, maybe get a snack while the Asian worked out.  
The half Korean decided not to change out of his leggings or baggy tsirt and slipped on his shoes and coat, following Shiro into the larger building. Abby and Remy could be heard in he kitchen, talking quietly and giggling to themselves. No one was in the dinning room or entertainment room, meaning no one else was awake, but they were surprised to see Allura in the exercise room, doing what Keith guessed was yoga.

“Good morning,” the white haired woman greeted chipperly. “Merry Christmas!”

“I didn’t think you would be up early,” Keith said after returning the greeting along with Shiro.

“I had a hard time sleeping from how sore my back was and needed to stretch. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Maybe later,” Shiro replied as he made his way to the treadmill, wanting to get a start on his morning exercise routine. 

Keith opened his mouth before a twinge of pain ran along his back, making him wince. Maybe a good stretch would be helpful. “I guess if it helps with my lower back.”

“I have the right set of stretches for that,” Allura said as she stood up. “We’ll do some easy ones since you’ve probably haven’t done this before.”

Keith nodded in agreement and grabbed a rolled up mat from the room’s closet and laid it out on a space on the floor beside Shiro, facing Allura. He sat down on the mat Indian style and copied whatever Allura said or did, starting off with some deep breathing before moving onto some easy moves that started on the floor. They soon moved on to some stretches that they had to do while standing and at one point, clasped their hands behind their backs and leaned forward while raising their arms up.

A thud then a crash had the two pop up to see what happened. The treadmill was still going but was empty, Shiro laying on the floor on his stomach with a few dumbbells around him. The older man turned on to his back with a pained groaned, face pinched in discomfort. Wait, did Shiro just fall off the treadmill and crash into the shelves holding the dumbbells?

“Are you alright?” Allura asked in concern.

“Y-you can’t do that Keith,” Shiro replied breathlessly. “You can’t bend over in front of me wearing those pants.”

Keith snorted and quickly covered his mouth to hide his grin, holding back a laugh. “Will you be ok?” Humor sounded in his voice as his shoulders shook with mirth, quietly laughing.

“Yeah… just give me a minute.” Shiro continued to lay there as he caught his breath, eyes closed.

Remy peeked her head in and took in the situation, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion at the Asian on the floor and the going treadmill. “Everything alright? We heard a crash.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” he chuckled out.

“Alright, well breakfast is almost ready if you want some. Oh and merry Christmas.” The older woman smiled widely at them before leaving.

Keith went over to the treadmill and turned it off before helping Shiro up onto his feet. “Why don’t you take a break from exercising today and just relax.” The half Korean chuckled and patted his boyfriend on the back before going back to Allura to finish his stretches.

… 

It was getting late in the morning before everyone else finally woke up, the kids being last since they stayed up late anyways; too excited to sleep. They waited to open presents until everyone was done eating before gifts were passed around and a large mess of wrapping paper filled the entertainment room. Keith and Shiro had brought in gifts from the suburban when everyone was eating and placed them underneath the tree sitting in a corner of the entertainment room. They were small inexpensive gifts, but everyone loved them.

Shiro and Keith had gotten knitted sweaters from Abby, homemade candies from Remy, pot edibles from Marco (Thace would probably like those), a book of Alaskan plants that held what was edible and not along with some recipes (Shiro enjoyed it more than Keith) from Luis and Lisa, drawings from the kids, bath oils from Lance and Hunk, some adult toys from Veronica as a joke to which they didn’t show the rest of the group (jokes on her though, they’ll definitely be using them), knitted gloves by grandma, and some washing supplies from Lemongrass Spa (something that they had never heard before but were supposed to be all natural) from Rachel.   
Allura had gotten Keith some new knee high boots and Lotor gave Shiro some type of tool that had the Asian freaking out in joy.

Presets were done and the kids were playing with their new toys. But it really wasn’t done just yet.

“I’ll be right back,” Keith whispered to Shiro as he got up.

“Ok,” Shiro replied and moved his legs so the half Korean could squeeze around the coffee table, not even questioning on where his boyfriend was going. Probably thought he had to go to the bathroom.

Keith snuck out to the shed and smiled when Kosmo sat up while panting, tail wagging excitedly. “Hey boy, did you have a good night?”

The dog whined with a light growl as if saying no before snorting and making his way over towards Keith in a trot that made the half Korean chuckle. Keith gave Kosmo a good pet before heading over to the covered cleaning parts cabinet and pulled the cloth off of it. He opened it and had Kosmo hop inside it to which the dog readily obeyed, but whined when Keith began closing the door.

“Its ok boy, it won’t be for very long and it’ll make someone hey happy,” he cooed before closing it. He was going to text Shiro to come out to the shed, but had forgotten his phone in his haste to get out here. So he had to quickly make his way back to the main building and gain his boyfriend’s attention from the doorway of the entertainment room before bringing him out to the shed after telling him to put on his shoes and coat. Before heading in, Keith had Shiro close his eyes and lead the Asian into the shed to stand in front of the cleaning cabinet.

“Ok, open your eyes,” Keith said as he stood beside the gift.

Shiro obeyed and his eyes widened when they landed on the washer. “You got me one?” he asked in awe as he moved his eyes back to Keith.

“Actually, remember when I told you about the parts cleaner that Iverson had? This is it. I had just forgotten that he had given it to me until that moment and had Hunk bring it up when he came up here. I figured this would be the perfect present for you since you really wanted one and had to get it out from the garage of the duplex,” Keith babbled, scratching the back of his neck in shyness.

Shiro gave a dopey smile and was about to walk over to him when a yip sounded from within the cabinet. The Asian spun around, startled at the sound, and looked at the washer just in time for a whiny bark to come out of it. “You didn’t.”

“I did. Open it.” Keith chuckled.

Shiro grabbed hold of the handle and swung the door open, eyes widening at the sight of Kosmo sitting on the round shelf, panting. He held a hand out for the dog to sniff and grinned widely when Kosmo pushed his head against it, looking for pets. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Yes he is,” the half Korean agreed with a wide smile of his own.

Kosmo's ears perked up at Keith’s voice and vaulted out of the cabinet, looking around until he spotted the smaller man. He yipped and jumped up onto Keith, pushing him down to the floor and began licking Keith’s face. The smaller man yelped and tried to push Kosmo off to no avail until finally the pup let off with a happy bark. Shiro laughed at the smaller man’s misfortune and slobber covered face, not at all minding that the dog seemed more happy to see Keith.

“Bleh, gross. This is why I don’t like dogs very much,” Keith mumbled as he used his sweater to clean off his face. Kosmo whined, making the half Korean half grin down at the pup and pat his head. “Except for you, you’re a good boy.”

Kosmo booted in agreement.

“What's his name?” Shiro asked as he kneeled down next to the dog to run his hands through soft fur. “He's so soft.”

“His name is Kosmo, he’s a year old, and he was abandoned as a pup, but I don’t know why, he’s such a good boy,” Keith replied, watching Shiro love on his new dog. “We don’t have to worry about vaccines for a while and he’s neutered. Plus he’s well behaved.”

Shiro nodded along, the smile never leaving his face. “He looks like a wolf.”

“Well he was bred to look like one. He’s got several mixtures like husky, Alaskan malamute, and other similar breeds.” Keith gave Kosmo, who was enjoying the attention, a small grin.   
“But we might need to keep a close eye on him to make sure he hasn’t picked up any bad habits. The woman at the shelter said Kosmo had been taught how to sit, stay, and shake, but his obedience could change in the presence of absolute strangers without her.”

“Well, let’s see what happens.” Shiro stood and took a few steps away, Kosmo standing up as well with a whine. “Kosmo sit.” The pup sat eagerly, tail wagging. “Lie down.” Again, Kosmo obeyed. “Sit up.” Kosmo sat up. “Stay.” Shiro walked to the door of the garage and Kosmo whined out with a huff, but stayed. “Come.” The dog ran towards the Asian and barked playfully as Shiro awarded the boy. “Good boy Kosmo!”

“I think it’s because you have such a commanding voice and intimidating presence when giving orders,” Keith spoke up over the noise, chuckling when the wolf like dog jumped up on its’ hind legs and placed its’ paws on the older man's chest while playfully growling. “I wonder how he would do around the kids.”

Shiro pushed Kosmo off him and the pup strutted over towards the half Korean, sitting down at Keith’s side. The Asian raised a brow in disbelief and Keith shrugged. “Well, once again, we have to see. Will Remy be ok with a dog in the house?”

“People bring their dogs through here all the time, I doubt she won’t let him in.” Keith walked passed Shiro with a grin and opened the door, Kosmo flying out the door to sniff at some bushes before doing his business. “Kosmo, heel!”

The dog perked up at the command and finished up before galloping to Keith, walking beside the half Korean with Shiro on the other side. Once they reached the front door, Keith had Kosmo sit and stay while he went to go ask Remy’s permission to let the dog inside. Shiro stayed by the pup’s side to make sure he didn’t run off or start whining for Keith. The half Korean peeked his head into the entertainment room where everyone still was and caught Remy’s attention along with a few others. The woman excused herself and slowly made her way through the throng of people to get to the young man, gently pulling him down the hall for some more privacy.

“What is it? Does Shiro not like his gift?” she asked quietly, not talking about the parts washer.

“Oh no, he does, we were just wondering if we could bring him inside,” Keith answered.

Remy smiled and nodded. “Of course, what a silly question. We got rid of the carpet a long time ago because of that reason. Bring him in.”

Keith chuckled and hurried back to the door to let Shiro and Kosmo in, leading them down to the entertainment room. Kosmo turned the corner and froze at the room full of people, who all turned to look at the new furry newcomer. Nadia and Sylvia practically scream in excitement at the dog and were the first to get up and run to him to play with him. Kosmo’s tail curled between his legs and moved behind Keith and Shiro, hair standing on end. The kids stopped in their trek, knowing without their parents telling them not to move any closer.

“That’s the first he’s done that,” Keith said as he kneeled down to pet Kosmo, cooing at him. The pup was shaking beneath his hands, looking pitiful. “What's wrong bud?”

Remy took a careful step forward, pausing to see what Kosmo’s reaction would be before continuing when the dog wagged his tail while still hunched over submissively. He accepted the woman’s touch and enjoyed the pet while still shaking. It was when one of the kids tried to move forward again that the tail wagging stopped and Kosmo backed away with his tail once again tucked between his legs.

“Oh dear,” Remy muttered sadly. “I think he’s more a runaway than abandoned.”

“I think so too,” Keith agreed, becoming upset and wondering how she could know that. He hadn't said anything yet about being abandoned to her yet. 

“Why do you say that?” Hunk asked, trying to get his eyes on the dog once again, Kosmo having backed off enough to not be seen by everyone in the room anymore.

“From his reactions between adults and the children so far suggest that there might have been some foul play involved caused by the owner or owner’s children,” Remy replied as she knelt back down in front of Kosmo, watching him heartbrokenly and scratching his ears.

“The shelter worker did say that he was pretty rough looking when they found him and fearful,” Keith stated as he reached down to pat at the dog’s head.

“Aw, poor boy.” Remy stood back up and went back into the room motioning the kids to back off and sit down.

“What should we do?” Shiro asked worriedly.

“I think we have some left over ham in the fridge,” Bart pipped in. “Why don’t you grab some and split it between everyone to give to him, giving two large pieces to Nadia and Sylvia.”

Shiro nodded and left to go do just that, grabbing a ziplock bag full of sliced ham. He took out a few pieces and began to tear them into equal chunks for everyone, saving two large wedges for the kids to give to Kosmo. When the pup smelt and then saw the ham, he perked up quickly and looked expectantly while following Shiro into the room, eyeballing the meat. Keith gave his first, then Shiro, who was a few steps into the room, and one by one, everyone gave their share of meat and we’re rewarded with a few licks. But when it came to the children, Kosmo was a bit more wary. 

Kosmo paused a few feet away from them with his tail once again tucked back between his legs, looking between them and the meat. Nadia and Sylvia stayed patient and continued to hold out the ham for the pup, keeping calm. Slowly, Kosmo made his way to the two before hesitantly taking the food from their grasps, quickly backing up a few feet afterwards. He turned around and swiftly made his way back to Keith.

Remy let out a disappointed sigh. “It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

Keith nodded, a little upset himself. “It's all we could ask for. At least it’s this and not growling.”

“Why doesn’t he like us?” Sylvia asked with tearful eyes, looking like he might have a meltdown. It was understandable because he was an animal lover.

“Because a few bad kids hurt him,” Lisa answered.

Nadia looked as if she might start crying herself, hurt. “Why would someone do that?”

Lisa shrugged. “There are just bad people in the world.”

“But don’t stop trying to let him know that you like him,” Luis quickly added with a gentle smile. “Keep giving him treats and tell him that he’s a good boy.”

“Ok,” both kids said simultaneously, still upset.

“He’ll learn you’re good kids,” Shiro said as he made his way towards them, squatting down in front of them from where they sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree. “Because you’re the best there is, right?”

“Yeah!” Sylvia exclaimed, sadness falling off of him.

“We’ll do our best!” Nadia added also becoming excited.

“Good, but for now, let’s leave him be so he can get used to you and everyone else here without us getting into his face.” Shiro ruffled their hair and sat down next to them when they asked.

Keith stood close to the doorway in case Kosmo wanted a quick getaway and had the dog lay down next to him, letting him have the advantage of being able to see everyone in the room while having an opening to the door. Talking began once again, summer plans being shared and talk of tonight’s dinner discussed. Abby and Remy were in charge of tonight’s meal along with Hunk, who would be experimenting on a few recipes that he was thinking of making for his restaurant and wanted everyone to taste test. Bart and Allen would be in charge of lunch, which would be fish tacos.

During this time, Kosmo had started to relax and lay his head down on his paws, eyes drooping. He tensed again when the kids got up to go play some videogames, but didn’t move as they carefully passed him by. Kosmo really relaxed after that and even went to whoever would give him pets, laying his head down on those who would ignore him (Lotor). When everyone showed they were good people, Kosmo started to pant and whine for attention before Keith called him back to his side. The pup laid back down with a huff, signing in annoyance.

…

Dinner was amazing, even the experiments that Hunk created. Everyone was laughing and having a great time, sharing scraps with Kosmo. By the end of the meal, it seemed like the fear he once had for the kids disappeared as he sat between their chairs, waiting for some more moose meat. He even allowed them to pet him. Keith was glad for that and didn’t reprimand him for being greedy, listening to Kosmo give a growly whine when he wasn’t receiving food fast enough. 

Abby began picking up plates and bringing them to the kitchen when Allura suddenly stood up and gathered everyone’s attention when Lance’s mom returned. “Thank you so much for inviting us to your lovely home this Christmas and thank you so much for the meal, it was delicious.”

“Of course dear! The more the merrier,” Remy exclaimed from her end of the table.

“But there is something I wanted to share with all of you while we’re all here.”

Keith’s eyes widened, knowing exactly what Allura was about to reveal, and straightened in his seat.

“I’m pregnant.”

There was a long, quiet pause before Lance’s loud “what?!” broke it and everyone was talking at once, congratulating the white haired woman. Lotor was silent throughout it, still and wide eyed. When he did speak, the first thing he said was,

“Uh oh.”

Allura stared at her husband in confusion until Lotor suddenly stood up and hugged his wife tightly, holding onto her for a long while. When the white haired man pulled back, he looked very pleased yet frightened at the same time. Pleased because they were having a baby and scared for the same thing. A baby was going to be a big change and Allura could be putting herself in harm’s way while pregnant. While Keith doubt there would be any kind of complications, there was still a chance there could be.

“How far?” Lotor asked.

“About eight weeks now, almost two months,” Allura replied, smiling widely.

“So you’re going to have a September baby it seems,” Remy said happily, smiling brightly as well.

“Looks like it.”

“You knew, didn’t you?” Shiro asked Keith in a whisper, leaning over so no one would hear them.

“Why do you ask?” Keith replied innocently.

“You got this surprised look on your face before she told us she was pregnant.”

The half Korean shrugged his shoulders. “She wanted to tell at least one person when she found out because she was really excited.” He grinned over at the expecting couple, Lotor holding Allura’s hand as they sat down and didn’t let go.

Shiro said nothing else, but had a delighted smile on his face. 

Kosmo, who had returned to Keith's side during the excitement, walked out of the dinning room before pausing to let out a loud yelp to gather his master’s attention. Shiro got up and followed the pup to the front door, letting him out to use the bathroom. They didn’t immediately come back in when Kosmo was done so the half Korean went out to check up on them and found them playing fetch. Keith decided to leave them alone since this would be the perfect time for them to bond and the younger man went back inside just as Remy was bringing out a raspberry pie, catching the end of Lotor’s sentence.

“-explain your sudden appetite increase and your sudden dislike of bacon.”

“Morning sickness getting to you dear?” Lisa asked, turning in her chair to face Allura who was right next to her.

“Not really, only with certain smells like bacon and chicken. But other than that, I haven’t been feeling sick at all,” the white haired woman replied.

Abby, Remy, and Lisa looked at her in jealousy.  
Keith decided to tune out of that conversation and listen in onto the one between Bart, Allen, and Frank (Lance’s grandpa), Frank talking about some stories that happened in his young life that the half Korean found interesting. When asked where Shiro was, Keith explained what was going on and Remy said she would save a piece of pie for him.

That night, Keith went to bed feeling like he was on top of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always leave a kudo or comment and feel free to leave some constructive criticism, let me know how I'm doing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to stop apologizing every time I post a new chapter because it's becoming very hard lately to just sit down and write without some little person needing more or someone's needs needing to be met. Don't get married or have kids unless you're willing to give up all your free time to someone else and barely be able to even get an hour to just sit down and relax. Anyways, hope you like this chapter.

“I wish the weather would make up its’ mind already, fucking done with the constant back and forth of melting and freezing,” Keith mumbled as he walked into work, raising an eyebrow at all the oilfield workers wandering about the lobby and hallway to the breakfast room; bags and suitcases shoved along one wall of the breakfast room hallway. 

Oh, yeah, January seventh, the day the workers finally leave. It was Monday so Keith hadn’t gotten a look of the list yet, but knew it was going to be a long day.

“Good morning, Keith,” Allura greeted brightly, already printing out the room lists. 

“Morning,” Keith grumbled out tiredly.

Allura raised a brow, eyeing him. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just woken up too early.” Fucking Shiro and his libido. He sighed with a grimace as he stared at the two room lists, hoping that the rooms weren’t too bad. It didn’t help that he had to fire a maid while a second one quit quickly after back in December after Christmas. They were a bit understaffed today, but luckily the week was supposed to be slow and they didn’t have to get everything done today.

“Well, you look good. Your haircut is cute.”

Keith touched his hair, twirling a finger through the shorter strands unconsciously. Over the weekend, he finally got the nerve to cut his hair and try something new. He didn’t cut off too much, just enough that it didn’t bother him while he worked. The ends of his hair flipped and curled every which way while the strands near his face curled to frame his face; still long enough to pull the hair on top of his head up into half ponytail. It took a few years off him and he almost looked like he was eighteen again, but he liked it. Shiro loved it.

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he pulled a thin band from his pocket and pulled the hair around his face and the top of his head up. While they wouldn’t get in his way while they were dry, but once damp, the ends tend to poke him in the eyes as he found out during his workout session with Shiro yesterday morning and after his shower last night. Yes, he did start a morning routine after Christmas, Shiro starting him off easy and intensifying it each week.

“Just do what you can today and save the rest for tomorrow.” The white haired woman took several keycards from a couple of the workers and ran them through some kind of card machine that deactivated them so they could be reused later.

Keith nodded and took the first floor list, filling the dumbwaiter, and loaded the cart after putting on his work scrubs. He decided to start towards the end of the hallway since those rooms were used the most and more popular among guests. Also, it made it easier to reload the cart, because by the time he ran out of cleaning supplies or sheets he’d be halfway down the hall and wouldn’t have to walk far. 

Acxa and two other housekeepers showed up a few minutes later, just after eight. The blue haired woman stayed with Keith on the first floor, starting on another room, while the other two headed upstairs. The half Korean started on his first room when a knock on the door brought his attention to it, spotting James just outside the open door with a nervous air about him. 

“Hey,” Keith said as he went back to pulling off pillow cases and throwing the pillows onto the other unused bed.

“Hey,” James replied quietly, looking away while rubbing his shoulder. “Um… I like you’re haircut.” He grimaced in embarrassment, obviously not what he was going to say or ask.

“Thanks?” The half Korean raised an eyebrow as the other started to look more and more anxious by the second, something on James’ mind. “What is it?”

“What?” 

“You didn’t come to me just to tell me you liked my haircut, otherwise you wouldn’t be so nervous. What did you want to talk about?” Keith had paused once he had finished stripping the bed, stepping closer to the other.

“Well,” James rubbed he nap of his neck, blushing, “there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“… and?”

James huffed in annoyance and gave Keith a small glare. “Don’t rush me, I’m getting there. This is embarrassing.”

“Well be more quick about 'cause you don’t got all day if those suitcases out in the lobby says anything about it.” Keith didn’t mean to make it sound so rude, but he was getting impatient and the group would be leaving any minute now.

The oil worker cursed. “Ok um… how did you know you were gay?” His face was flushed, but also had the look of determination and curiosity.

The housekeeper’s eyes widened as his eyebrows rose, surprised by the question. “Uh when I noticed I rather kiss guys than gals.” He shrugged, unsure on how he was supposed to answer.

“But what if you still like boobs?”

“Then you’re bi.”

James bit his lip in thought. “What if it’s only the one guy?”

Keith shrugged again. “I don’t know, curiosity? Talk to him I guess.”

James opened his mouth after a small pause when a muscled arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him tight against a tall, dark skinned man’s side. James blushed a deep red all over as his eyes widened, tongue suddenly not working. The newcomer was absolutely gorgeous with dark brown hair, olive green eyes, and a well sculpted physique. Sparkling white teeth flashed at Keith when the man smiled.

“There you are! It’s time to go,” the dark skinned man said, oblivious to the fact that James' brain had probably melted from the contact. Then he noticed Keith and his smile widened. “You must be Keith! James and a few of the housekeepers told me all about you. Pleasure to finally meet you!” He let go of James and made his way to the half Korean to shake his hand.

Keith allowed it with a small smile of his own. “Are you one of the day sleepers?”

The newcomer nodded. “Yup. Ryan Kinkade at your service.” Ryan gave a two finger salute, smiling the whole time. “First for me working nights. Usually I’m working days with James, but someone quit and I had to take over. Hopefully this is a one time thing.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you.” Keith glanced over to James to see the brunette looking away in embarrassment, the blush still there.

“Too bad it wasn’t sooner. It was nice meeting you too.” Ryan turned to face James, who lit up and gave the other his full attention. “We should get going before they decide to leave us.”

James only nods and sighs out in relief when the dark skinned man left the room. His eyes narrow when he noticed Keith staring at him with a smug grin. “What?”

The half Korean shrugged. “Oh nothing, just realizing what all those questions were for.” He grabbed the ball of sheets and pillow cases and tossed them into the laundry bag attached to the cart, smug grin still there. “I can see the attraction, though; he’s very handsome.” 

James followed him out and glared at the other as Keith leaned back against the wall. “Don’t go making fun of me now!”

“I’m not, just can’t help but find it amusing though. I guess karma’s a bitch.” For those two years being made fun of for being gay by the guy that bullied him in highschool who now appears to have a crush on his fellow worker was a bit comical.

James rolled his eyes and huffed. “Guess I deserved that. Look, I need to get going.”

“Then go, I’m not the one distracting you. But make sure you talk to the guy, ok? Maybe it could help with the curiosity or maybe it could turn into something more. Just don’t keep him in the dark.” 

“Whatever. See you later man, text me whenever.” The brunette began making his way down the hall to the lobby, waving a hand over his shoulder.

Keith shook his head with a chuckle as headed back into the room, sighing when he remembered all the rooms he had to do and finish today and tomorrow. Hopefully the group had left behind some good tips.

…

Tips were scarce, but unopened beer was in abundance. Beer that Keith didn’t even like. There was maybe one or two fruity beers that he sometimes drank when alone, but there were several cases of open beer and one of wine that the other three housekeepers took home with them as well as unopened candy bars and bags of chips from the vending machine. Only a few rooms had a good tip, but not enough to split evenly or generously between them. Keith let the women have it and walked out empty handed that afternoon other than the two beers.

When he got home, Shiro was in the garage (something becoming very common since he quit his job), his voice carrying through the door before Keith even opened it. The older man was sitting at his desk, phone in hand, and writing something down on a piece of paper. Most likely talking to a customer. Shiro had gotten that license and was now working on cars out in the garage, making a decent amount, but not enough as he was with his other job. He said it would be slow going until he got enough regulars and word spread out about him before it started picking up. So, for now, the couple were very careful in how they spent their money.  
Kosmo, who had been lying down next to Shiro, perked up when Keith entered and stood up to race over to the half Korean, trying to lick the younger man's hands when Keith tried to pet him.

Shiro looked up when the dog left his side and gave a light wave with a small smile at Keith before talking to whoever was on the phone. “Yeah… I know it’s a lot of money for a few small parts, but your car is very rare and very old; parts for it are hard to find and very expensive. If you don’t like the price then talk to guy selling them to me…” He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, fed up with the person on the phone. “Hey man, if you can find someone to do this job for a cheaper price then go for it. But I can tell you now the work done to it is going to be shotty and half assed… yes I am because I know what I’m doing and if I don’t, I talk to someone who does.”

Keith rolled his eyes, having heard similar conversations the past two weeks. He walked over to give his lover a kiss on the side of the head and left Shiro to it, hungry and wanting a shower. He popped a take and bake pizza into the over after preheating it and took a quick shower before laying down on the couch to watch some Hulu with Kosmo cuddled up beside him, a new episode of Future Man out. The smell of pizza brought Shiro out from the garage and he too sat down with a groan, tossing his head back as he rubbed his temples.

“Long day?” Keith asked quietly, pausing the show.

“No, but it felt like it,” the Asian replied tiredly, leaning his head forward and to the side so he could look at his young boyfriend and dog with a bit of jealousy. “Finally found the parts for the stupid car and the guy selling it was asking a lot for them. The guy I’m fixing the car for doesn’t like it and threatened to find somebody else. Fine, go ahead. Bet you he’s gonna come running back within a month because of the crappy job. It’s not even that good of a car to begin with it.”

“And the car sitting in the garage now?”

“Oh, just a tune up, oil change, and a detailing job. Most of the money is going to come from the detailing part because holy crap is that car filthy.” The older man shook his head, most likely finding it a waste to trash a nice vehicle. Shiro was always very particular about keeping his suburban clean and detailed it every weekend, keeping it nice and taking good care of it.

The oven beeped and Keith got up to get the pizza, but Shiro motioned him to stay as he got up himself and got the food; slicing it up and setting it on the coffee table on top of rag. The younger man waited before he grabbed a slice and carefully ate, hissing when the sauce burnt his mouth. The heat didn’t seemed to bother Shiro and the Asian ate like it was cold, taking huge bites. Keith was always confused on how the man could eat piping hot meals and not get hurt by it. Kosmo lifted his head and stared at the slice in the half Korean's hand.

“What about you, how was your day? I know those oilfield workers left today. Were the rooms bad?” Shiro asked after swallowing the last bite of his third slice, Keith just starting on his second.

The half Korean shrugged. “Some, but mostly because we couldn’t get into them as often as we like. Hardly any tips, lots of left over beer and unfinished food. I did find one unopened container of caramel apple cheesecake from the Safeway deli in the room James stayed in. It was pretty good.”

“Wait you ate it? Someone could have done something to it and made it look like it was unopened.” Shiro sat up and gave Keith a look of concern and a 'are you serious?' stare.

The younger man huffed. “I know that, I’m not stupid. I looked to see who else shared the room with him and saw it was someone else I had gotten to know and like. And, James knows cheesecake is my favorite dessert.”

“Wait, it is?”

“Yeah, I told you this before. Just like you told me chocolate mud cake is your favorite. Speaking of which, I should thank James for the cheesecake.” Keith pulled out his phone and sent him a text, not knowing when he would receive one back.

Shiro had looked away in thought, trying to remember the conversation of when they talked about their favorite desserts.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” the younger man said with a chuckle. “You were a bit preoccupied when we had that conversation. Plus, you were a bit awkward since it was our first date.”

“I told you my favorite dessert on the first date? I must have really liked you.” Shiro chuckled before taking another slice. Good thing Keith bought two pizzas.

“I could tell, you wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s actually what really drew me to you.” Keith smiled fondly at the memory, remembering their first date started off awkward and quiet before the half Korean finally opened his mouth and spoke, telling Shiro what he liked and disliked. It got more comfortable as time wore on and before they knew it, they were asked to leave so another couple could have a seat; the men having been there for so long.

“You mean it wasn’t my good looks and boyish charm?” Shiro gave a smirk and raised a brow, trying to look sexy. 

It just made Keith laugh. “No. While it is a bonus, I liked what was inside more than what was on the outside. Though those muscles are very sexy.”

“I like where this is going. Tell me more of what you like about me.” While Shiro may sound and look cocky and narcissistic, he wasn’t. He wasn’t asking because he wanted to know, he needed to know. Needed to know why Keith loved someone like him and wanted to be with him.

Keith was the same way, asking quite a few times why when Shiro told him he loved him, especially on mentally hard days. The half Korean often looking down on himself while Shiro thought himself undesirable because of the breakup between him and Adam. The Asian and his ex had been together for so long and thought to be so in love that Shiro thought Adam would be ok with him being gone for certain amounts of time. He thought wrong.

If Adam had dumped him because he didn’t want Shiro going to the bush, then it wouldn’t have been as heartbreaking. But that was actually an excuse to dump Shiro without hurting him too much. The real reason was Adam no longer loved the Asian and was falling for someone else, but didn’t cheat. Shiro only knew because a friend of theirs told him about it and that really hurt him more than it would have if Adam had been upfront about it. 

Shiro took a very big step when he asked Keith on a date, putting himself out there and risking getting hurt again. But Keith doesn’t see them breaking up any time soon or ever, maybe even getting married if the Asian ever asked. The younger man was thankful Shiro took a chance on him, having never been so happy in his life, and found the older man to be a good influence on him.

“You make me feel safe whenever you hug me, make me feel good about myself when I’m down, put me first without asking for anything back. You’re kind, generous, forgiving, smart, and you love me for who I am. Angst and all,” Keith said with a small smile, reaching his hand over the armrest to grab Shiro's.

The older man reached over as well and interlaced their fingers, looking at the other fondly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The Asian brought Keith’s hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it before placing it against his cheek. “To tell the truth, I don’t think I loved someone so much until I met you. You’re amazing.”

Keith blushed bashfully, bowing his head. “I’m not that great.”

“Stop selling yourself short,” Shiro reprimanded gently, squeezing the younger man’s hand.   
“There’s so much more to you than what you think.”

“Like what?” Keith glanced up to see his boyfriend staring at him intensely. The half Korean gulped at the determination set in those eyes.

“You are a very skilled marksman and excellent head housekeeper, fair to the people you’re in charge of. While suspicious of everyone, you still try to see the good in people unless they give you a reason not to. You are very passionate when doing something you love and you have a lot to give to the people around you. While quick to anger, you can also be very patient when the time calls for it and when you do get angry it’s over something you are passionate about. You are quick to defend the people you care about and willing to do everything for them. You have so many good qualities about you that’s it hard to keep track of.”

Keith hid his blushing face and fond grin. “You certainly are charming.”

A huff drew their attention to Kosmo, who was watching them boredly, and the couple chuckled. That was when they noticed the last piece was gone and neither of them had eaten it. The dog burped before licking his chops, closing his eyes in content. 

“Kosmo! Bad dog!” Shiro reprimanded sternly, but it didn’t faze Kosmo.

“No Kosmo, bad dog. Go to your bed,” Keith commanded. Now the dog looked guilty and gave the half Korean puppy dog eyes that had no affect on him. “Bed. Now.”

Kosmo slid off the couch with his tail tucked between his legs and made his way to his bed in the dinning room, head lowered and ears down. He laid down on his bed with a groan and proceeded to stare at Keith with sad eyes, the half Korean ignoring him.

“How come he obeys you better than me? He’s supposed to be my dog,” Shiro grumbled, looking back at the dog, who’s ears perked up when the older man looked at him.

Keith just shrugged. He honestly had no idea. Over time, Kosmo slowly became more Keith’s dog than Shiro’s and was more well behaved with the half Korean than the older man. Not that Keith minded as long as Kosmo didn’t jump on him, lick him (pacifically his face), or lean heavily on him while he drove. He still found dogs annoying and Kosmo was no exception… almost, but he did love the pup and like cuddling with him on hard days when Shiro was busy in the garage.

“Should we make another pizza?” Shiro asked. 

“Sure. I’m still a little hungry and those pizzas are a bit small.” Keith got up and started the process of preheating the oven again.

“Those little pizzas aren’t that bad. When you said the crust was made from cauliflower, it kind of turned me away from them. But actually, they almost taste like a regular pizza. Can you get me some water?”

The younger man grabbed Shiro’s empty cup and refilled it, setting it back on the end table separating the couch and arm chair. “I was surprised you actually ate some tonight after avoiding it for so long.”

“I was hungry and it smelt good.” The older man shrugged and took a sip of water.

Keith’s phone vibrated and he checked to see that James had texted him back.

*How u know it was me?*

*Ur room and u know I like cheesecake*

*… well glad u like it*

*Tips would be better tho*

“Who you texting?” Shiro asked as he played the show again.

“James,” Keith replied as another text came in that had him narrow his eyes.

*??? We did. All of us. The boss made sure we all did to show our appreciation for taking care of us*

*Really? Cus I only found a few dollar bills in a couple of he rooms*

*Maybe one of the other housekeepers took them, no offense*

Keith paused in his texting in thought, thinking back and remembered that one of the newer girls had started opening all the checkout doors, saying she would strip the rooms first before she started cleaning the rooms upstairs. She obviously stripped the rooms of more than dirty sheets and towels. The half Korean sighed in aggravation, catching his boyfriend’s attention.

*I think u might b right*

*Fuck. Maybe next time we’ll give it to the front desk or to the housekeepers directly*

*Probably a good idea*

*I gotta go, about to take off*

*Talk to u later*

*See ya man*

Keith sighed again and rubbed his eyes, hearing the preheated oven was done. He got up and placed the pizza in the oven before sitting back down, feeling Shiro’s eyes on him. “I think one of the housekeepers stole tips that were supposed to be split between everyone,” he answered the other’s questioning gaze.

“What are you going to do about it?” Shiro had forgone watching the TV to keep his gaze on his young lover with a look of concern.

“She works tomorrow so I’ll confront her when she comes in. I’ll give her a chance to return the money, but if not, I’ll have to fire her.” Which would be sad because the woman was a single mother with a six month baby and needed extra work. He could understand wanting to take all the tips, especially in times of need, but it was still wrong and he couldn’t have someone like that working for him.

“You’ll be calm, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes and gave Shiro a blank stare. “Yes. I’m always calm when talking to my workers.”

Shiro lifted an eyebrow.

“Except that one time, but only because he was an asshole.”

“You called him a cunt in front of Allura.”

“Only her though and I got the reaction I wanted. Showed her he wasn’t all smiles and jokes. Wasn’t expecting him to flip a chair though.” Keith winced at the memory.

The chair had almost hit Allura and knocked over the small fish bowl that sat on the desk, shattering all over the keyboards and spilling water and fake rocks all over the lower part of the desk where the computers sat. Blinky, the bright pink beta, flopped around on the floor close to the manager's feet. The guy would not leave and the police were called soon after, the young man taken away in handcuffs and screaming profanity at both of them and the small crowd that started to form in the lobby.

“… heard he was out on probation,” Keith mumbled. Apparently the guy left out about going to prison several times for aggravated assault from his resume. He was also a drug abuser.

“Probably not for long.” Shiro stood up when the oven beeped the food was ready.

Keith agreed. That crazy guy wasn’t the only one who went a bit insane when getting fired or called out on their shit, especially during the first year he was head housekeeper; his hiring skills not all that good. He knew how to spot the crazies now… usually if they don’t have a sad back story that was actually true. He grabbed a slice when he noticed Kosmo trying to sneak back in. “No! Bed!” he pointed back to the dinning room and the pup quickly ran back, head lowered.

“I think he’s been in time out long enough,” the older man commented after sitting back down.

“He can come back when we’re done eating. I’m not gonna have a sick dog in my house for the rest of the night.”

Shiro rolled his eyes fondly and snickered, looking back to see Kosmo staring longingly at them. “Sorry boy, you’re going to have to wait.”

…

Keith waited out in the lobby until the tip thief came in to start her shift, Allura giving him confused looks from time to time. She didn’t ask any questions since it was normal for the half Korean to sit out in the lobby to wait for people to check out on slow days. But there were still rooms left over from yesterday he could start on, hence the confused gaze. Axca and Kasey had already started ten minutes ago, making the one he’s waiting for thirteen minutes late. He thought she might be a no show and call in later to quit when showed up five minutes later, twenty minutes past eight.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, my son had a bad night and I hardly got any sleep,” she said when she noticed Keith sitting there in the lobby. She sounded genuinely sorry and it made it so much harder for the half Korean to stand up and confront her. “Actually, I’m glad you’re right here. Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?”

Keith gave the other a befuddled look, but nodded and followed her to the breakfast room. Once there, she handed him an envelope with a look of shame and would not look into his eyes. He took it and peeked inside to see money, eyes widening. Guess this was going to be a lot easier than he thought.

“These are tips that the oil field workers left yesterday and I took them all other than a few bills here and there,” she admitted guilty, wringing her hands. “I thought that it could help pay off one of my medical bills, but it just didn’t feel right and I had to return it. I’m sorry.”

“I figured since one of the workers I’m friends with mentioned to me they had left tips, but saw only a few. That’s why I was waiting in the lobby,” Keith replied calmly, surprised at the woman’s courage in returning the money in spite of the possibility of getting fired.

“I am so sorry. I’ll return the shirt and name tag and leave.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m fired aren’t I?”

Keith tapped the envelope on his palm and gave her a kind look. “No, because it took a lot of courage to admit you took all the tips for yourself. While it’s not necessarily stealing, it’s still wrong since it was supposed to be for all of us. But you gave it back and showed true guilt for what you did. So no, you’re not fired.”

The young woman teared up as she gave the head housekeeper an appreciative stare. “Thank you, so much. I swear I won’t do it again.”

Keith nodded. “I know. I’ll tell the others that they had left the tips with the front desk before it got lost, but then found again this morning.”

She relaxed and let out a deep breath she didn’t know she was holding and tears spilled over her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Now go get cleaned up in the bathroom and get to work, there shouldn’t be a lot of work today. But if you need the hours, I can find something extra for you to do.”

She nodded, thanked him once more and left for the public bathrooms by the pool. Keith went to work himself, signing himself in before joining Kasey, who apparently saw the whole thing when she went looking for him and impressed her with being so gracious. In the end, Kasey gave her share of the tips to the young mother as did Keith. Acxa, clearly confused as to what was going on, gave her share as well so as to not be left out and not look selfish. The mother was very grateful and began crying, hugging the Korean, who stiffened at the contact.

When she finished, she signed out and left with all the money once more. Acxa looked a bit disappointed in giving all her tips away and left with a sour mood. Kasey left happy, glad to have helped someone in need. Keith was glad everything turned out alright and left with a good feeling after staying a bit longer to start deep cleaning rooms again and give him some more hours.

It was past five when he made it home and Hunk was cooking away in the kitchen. Keith looked around to make sure he was at the right house and saw that he was when Shiro came out of the garage with a plate of food covered in tinfoil, Kosmo following after him. When the pup noticed Keith, he yipped and pounced over to the half Korean excitedly. This brought the two other men’s attention to him and they greeted him, Shiro giving him a kiss as he passed by. The smell of BBQ steak delicious.

“Did I forget that we were having a friend gathering or something?” Keith asked as he slipped off his coat and shoes.

“Or something,” Hunk mumbled, looking a bit torn and bitter for a second before it was replaced by a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hope you’re hungry, there’s plenty to eat. Lance should be back soon with the drinks.”

The half Korean nodded and began setting the table as plates and bowls of food were placed on the table. “So why are you here?” He sat down just as Lance walked in, eyebrows furrowed and fury burning in his eyes.

“Well, um-“ the large native started quietly, but his lover interrupted him.

“Did you tell him yet?” the brunette asked, barely able to hold the anger from his voice as he sat down next to Keith with an angry huff after setting a plastic bag on the counter.

“Tell me what? What’s going on?” Concern was starting to creep up in him as he watched Hunk’s face fall into despair and Lance’s irritation grew on his while Shiro’s went blank. “Guys?”

“The landlord kicked us and the other guy out, because some company wanted to build there and paid the owner of the building off,” Lance growled, almost shouted. “We have three days to pack up all our stuff.”

Keith’s eyes widened in disbelief as his heart sank. “What? Isn’t that illegal? Where are you gonna go?”

“We talked to Lotor and it’s not technically because there was a loophole in the contract we signed. And Shiro offered us a place to stay until we could find our own place,” Hunk replied, looking very much like a kicked puppy.

Keith shook his head, anger filling him. “That’s such bullshit.”

“I know right?! I left a very angry, very long voicemail that he’s most likely going to discard without hearing it. Knew the guy was sketchy, but this? This was low.” The brunette crossed his arms.

“Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to,” Shiro cut in, starting on the food.

“Thanks man,” Hunk expressed in gratitude. 

Lance suddenly stood up. “I think this calls for a drink. Hunk, keep it down to three.” He went to the bag that was sitting on the counter and pulled out a bottle of whine.

Keith checked to see Shiro’s expression, but he didn’t appear bothered by it. “None for me thanks.” He didn’t like wine much anyways.

Lance shrugged and grabbed two glasses from one of the cabinets, filling the small cups until they were almost completely full. “We were going to take a break these next few days so we can pack and move everything that we don’t really need into storage. When we find another place to live, we’ll probably go through it and have a garage sale or something.”

“I can help after work tomorrow, there isn’t supposed to be much.” Keith took a bite of his steak and almost moaned; fuck he missed Hunk’s cooking.

“I can take a break tomorrow and help too,” Shiro said after swallowing his bite of mashed potatoes that he had mixed into his green beans.

“Thanks guys, it’s great having such good friends,” Hunk commented as the smile finally reached his eyes.

“You guys can start your stay tonight as well if you need to.” 

The half native relaxed in relief and rubbed his eyes with one hand to most likely hide his emotions. “I think we’ll take you up on that offer,” his voice cracked.

Hunk placed a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and thanked Shiro as well. Not much was said afterwards as Lance got very drunk and fell asleep at the table. The large native carried his boyfriend to bed soon after and bid the other couple goodnight as well as another thank you. Keith and Shiro went to bed as well after cleaning up the dishes and kitchen, reading (Keith) and going over business expenses (Shiro). The half Korean felt tired, but his brain wasn't as he kept going over the events of the day and reading the same paragraph over and over. It wasn't until Shiro called out his name that he finally came back to the present.

"Everything ok?"

The younger man nodded tiredly. "Yeah, just got a lot on my mind."

"Worried about them?" The Asian took off his glasses and set them and his laptop aside on the night stand.

"Yeah. It just isn't fair. This world is so fucked up." He rubbed his eyes and threw his head back against the pillow with an aggravated groan. 

"Yes it is, but that's why we should do our best to be kind and good... even if it only affects a few people," Shiro said as he grabbed Keith's hand and squeezed it, love for the half Korean in his eyes.

"I showed grace today. To the housekeeper who stole the tips I mean." Keith set his book down after marking his place. "She returned it before I even said anything. Said she felt guilty about it even though it could have helped her pay off some bills. It was a lot of money too." Two hundred dollars worth. "She ended up getting all of it anyways."

Shiro lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Kasey, one of the housekeepers, heard everything and knew what it's like to be a single mother in need. So she gave her her share as did I and Acxa too, but only because she didn't want to look selfish in front of everyone."

"Well that was very selfless of you." The older man looked very proud and smiled widely. "I'm very happy you did that."

"Me too." The younger man returned the smile with a small one of his own. He then sighed. "You think they'll be alright?"

"Who? Lance and Hunk? I'm sure they will be. We'll just have to be excellent hosts to them for the time being."

"Be so good at it that they'll get sick of us look for a place faster." The two men chuckled before deciding to call it a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and drop a kudo before you leave, would love to hear your thoughts or constructive criticism on this story.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm probably going to take a break from this story. I have writer's block and so many other oneshots cluttering my brain right now. I don't know when I'll get back to this, but I'll continue to work on it when I can.

It was difficult living with Lance and Hunk again. Not only because there was one bathroom, but because the walls were thin and everything could be heard. Everything. More than once, Keith or Shiro had been woken up during the night by the other two fucking. Same the other way around. It also didn't help that Hunk had completely taken over the dinning table with papers, folders, pens and other junk that were for the restaurant. And soon after, Lotor started showing up for a short while as he and Hunk went over things and often taking up space or asking for silence. The white haired man sometimes went out into the garage to tell Shiro to quiet down as the sounds of the screw gun filtered into the home.

Shiro kicked them out after the third time, making Hunk and Lotor work on their business elsewhere.

One good thing that came out of the new living arrangement was that Hunk took over cooking again. Plus, they weren't living there for free and were going to pay a monthly fee that would go towards the mortgage. Another was that the half Korean and Lance got to hang out like old times, playing video games together or just watching Lance. Keith missed those times.

It didn't mean everything went smoothly. There were reasons why it was difficult and stressful at most. Four men, one bathroom; that in itself should say it all. Then the whole Lotor thing and their table meant for food being taken over by paperwork. Passive aggressive fights broke out often that sometimes escalated. Whatever flow they had in the duplex did not happen in the house, mostly due to different rules. The thermostat rule was now enforced by Shiro and he had it set at seventy and it drove Hunk crazy that he couldn't touch it to bring down to something more tolerable for him. Lance's love for taking half hour showers and long baths often made Keith late for work or went without washing for several days, making Shiro limit the brunette's time to ten minutes; breaking in and pulling Lance out, naked and all, if he went over the limit. It also didn't help that he was also a slob.

Keith was starting to see a pattern here. A Lance pattern.

Stress filled the house and Keith often found himself debating of just staying at the hotel for a few days to get a break from it. Allura even suggested to just kick Hunk and Lance out for a few days and have them stay at the hotel for a while. She knew where the half Korean was coming from and understood, having lived in a small apartment with two other women and one man before she married Lotor. Three woman and one bastard of a man in a cramped two bedroom apartment, no thanks. She told him a story during her first year there on how she actually sucker punched one of the girls for making fun of her white hair. That girl pretty much acted like Allura didn't exist after that. But, anyways, Keith agreed that one of the couple needed to get out for a few days and surprisingly, Shiro picked them. Saying he could use a small vacation.

So, a week into February, Keith and Shiro stayed at the hotel in the king suite for a few days. Relaxing in the jetted tub and watching TV in peace, getting up the last minute for work since he was pretty much sleeping there, and the half Korean got a discount for being a hotel housekeeper. It was probably the most relaxed he's been in a month. While the breakfast food wasn't all that great and Keith pretty much couldn't eat any of it other than the bacon or eggs (yuck), they still had a great time and were in high spirits when they came back.

It got a bit better after that and a new routine was made and things started to settle down. Yes there were still fights, disagreements, and the like but they didn't escalate... as much anymore. Things started to seem normal again.

...

"What about this one? This one seems nice," Lance commented as he stared at his computer screen, clicking on the picture of a house. He scrolled down for details. "Pricing's not that bad."

"But it's heated by diesel," Keith said as he pointed at the screen. "It's going to cost a fortune during the winter time unless you get a wood boiler and chop wood."

The brunette made a sound of disappointment and clicked back to view at some more homes. "House searching is hard."

"Well there aren't a lot homes in your price range for sale during the winter. Remember what Rachel said? Spring is usually when things pick up." Keith took the laptop and began messing with the filters, lowering the price, amount of bedrooms, and adding on what type of homes. "Maybe you should lower your standards a bit... See? Look at this home. Only two bedrooms and bathrooms, but lots of space and refurnished. Nice size kitchen but not as big as Hunk would like."

Lance took a look and didn't seem all that impressed. Until he saw the bathroom. "Woah, looks like they didn't half assed it when it came to this."

Keith rolled his eyes as he leaned back against the couch, the smell of ham and cheese wafting through the house as Hunk hummed away in the kitchen. The sound of hammering came through the garage before metal on metal grinding together squealed soon after. Kosmo was pretending to be asleep on his back on the floor close to the kitchen, waiting for anything to drop on to the floor. The TV was on to create background noise, some kind of boring documentary playing. The half Korean felt calm and relaxed. Happy. Whatever stress was gone... at least for the time being.

"Saving that one," Lance mumbled as he took the laptop back. He went back to looking at other homes, sticking to the ones in or close to town. It was slim picking. "Look at this one, it's pretty close to you guys."

It was a small two story, two bedroom home. Kitchen, living room, attached dinning room, and bathroom all on the first floor. Master bed, guest bedroom, and bathroom taking up the second floor; a spiral metal staircase leading up to the floor. The kitchen was spacious and the second story bathroom was fully furnished with a soaker tub and two person sink. It had a private setting and was a bit cheaper than the other house the brunette liked. Lance immediately saved it.

"You guys hungry?" Hunk asked as he set a couple of plastic plates on the coffee table.

"Yeah, thanks." Keith peeked around the screen and lifted an eyebrow at the grilled cheese sandwich. He was about to ask if the bread was wheat before keeping the question to himself. Hunk would never make him something with wheat in it and the half Korean took it and bit out a large piece, humming at the taste.

Lance on the other hand gave a questioning noise. "This tastes different." He took another bite. "It's not bad, just different."

The large native squinted his eyes before a look of panic replaced it. He slapped the sandwich from Keith's hand, making the half Korean yelp in surprise. Kosmo was quick to swoop in and steal it, running away quickly and swallowing it whole before someone could stop him.

"The hell man?!" Keith exclaimed, upset at his lost sandwich.

"Sorry! I panicked," the larger man replied while looking a bit guilty. "I gave you the wrong sandwich. The one you ate had wheat in it."

The half Korean's eyes widened as his stomach clenched. Maybe if he threw up now, everything would be ok. No, that's stupid. A little wheat wasn't going to do any harm. Maybe a few red patches of itchy skin, what's that going to matter? "Know what, it's fine. It's fine. It's been years since I last had wheat, maybe it won't bother me as much." He gave a nervous laugh, showing how much he himself didn't believe that.

Lance gave him a disbelieving look as he took another bite of Keith's supposed sandwich. "You're gonna get recked."

"Shut up Lance."

"I'll just make you another one right quick," Hunk stepped in before a fight could break out.

The half Korean was about to say no, but he was still hungry and nodded instead. He sat back with a sigh, waiting for the upcoming stomach ache that was most likely about to happen. But what if it doesn't? It has been a long time since he last had wheat so maybe it won't affect him too much this time. Yet, maybe because of that he had a very bad reaction to it. No point in worrying about now until it happens and Keith decided to push it out of his mind for now.

The door leading out to the garage opened and Shiro walked in, face covered in black smears and smelling of sweat. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, but clean up first," Hunk answered sternly.

Shiro nodded and headed for the bathroom. Hunk placed another grilled cheese in front of Keith and the half Korean chowed it down hungrily. No stomach problems yet. Or itchy spots. Another plate of sandwiches were sat down on the end table for Shiro when he got out and the large native sat down on the other side of Lance with his own plate, squeezing Keith and the brunette closer together.

"Find anything?" Hunk asked as he watched Lance scroll down another page of homes.

The brunette shrugged. "I found a couple, but not as nice as we would have liked."

"You can't expect to find the perfect house at a low price," Keith commented. "Just not gonna happen."

"I figured as much," Hunk sighed. "Show me the ones you found so far."

Lance clicked on his saved list and tilted the laptop more towards his boyfriend. He clicked on each one, showed the house details, pictures, and location. The one Hunk liked the most was the small two story one close to Keith and Shiro. The large native didn't even know that until after he said it and the brunette showed him where it was. After finishing the saved list, they went back and looked through a few more. Only two more were saved to the list before Lance finally closed the laptop and set it aside, grabbing the TV remote.

Ghost Adventures was on. Fuck yes.

...

Keith stood there in front of his tall bedroom mirror, naked, and stared at himself with a blank face. Shiro was there behind him with a look of fascination and concern, eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly open as his gaze roamed up and down his boyfriend's body. Keith sighed and bowed his head, bringing a hand up to cover his eyes. His fingers twitched, wanting to itch every part of himself and it took sheer will power not to. The older man opened his mouth wider to say something before deciding against it, bringing a hand up to his chin instead.  
Keith finally gave in and itched a large red patch of skin on his ribcage. 

"Don't! You'll only make it worse," Shiro said as he reached forward to grab the half Korean's hand that was scratching his body.

"I can't help it! This is the worst my eczema has ever gotten." Keith moved away as both hands began clawing at his body, which was covered with large red, dry patches. He was used to a few small ones here and there, but this? This was rediculous.

"If you keep doing that, you're going to scratch yourself raw." Shiro had moved away to grab a bottle of lotion and came back as he squirted some into his hands. "Now hold still."

The half Korean did so, but in embarrassment. He'd rather feel his lover's hands on him for a different reason, but he couldn't reach his back himself where the worst of it was and he needed to get going. Work was going to suck today. He blushed deeply when Shiro rubbed the lotion on his ass, feeling a bit more of a grope, before squeaking when a finger quickly probed him. "H-hey!"

"Just making sure I get everywhere," the older man chuckled, kissing the back of Keith's neck. "Your ass has really tightened up since you started working out with me."

Keith's whole face turned a dark red and he spun away from Shiro's hands, feeling a bit prudish suddenly. "Yeah, well..." He struggled to come up with a comeback. "We'll see how tight your ass is tonight." Lame.

The older man snorted and smirked. "As long as we keep it quiet." He winked.

"Wait, really?" The half Korean was sure he hadn't heard right. They hadn't switched since Christmas and he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass if Shiro was being serious.

The Asian just lifted his finger to his lips and winked again before leaving the room. 

Keith cursed as a small grin spread across his lips. He looked back into the mirror and eyed himself once more, but at the muscle tone he had gained the past several weeks this time. It wasn't much, but he had slimmed down some and it was a definite confident booster. He got dressed and left the room to eat before leaving for work, trying not to itch. It was hard not to when his shirt rubbed against him with every movement.

He entered the hotel and noticed Allura was not at the front desk. Keith shrugged and clocked in before hopping over the low part of the desk to print out the lists. It was a slow day so all the rooms fit on to one sheet of paper and only one other person was coming into work today. The list was almost done printing when Allura entered the lobby from the hallway leading to the breakfast room, looking down at her phone. She expertly made her way behind the desk and sat down next to Keith as her eyebrows furrowed to something she was reading.

"Good morning," Keith greeted as he took the list from the printer.

"Good morning-woah."

The half Korean looked up from the list to see the woman staring wide eyed at his face and neck. She obviously wanted to say something about it, but didn't want to appear rude and kept her mouth shut. "Does it really look that bad?" he joked, but it fell flat as he now felt a bit consious about the red marks on his skin. He now had the urge to itch again.

Allura kept silent, unsure on how to answer before finally settling with, "you look absolutely fine." 

Keith raised a brow as he stared at her in disbelief. "I had a sandwich made with wheat and now my eczema is at it's all time high."

She suddenly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I knew you would never come to work if you were contagious with something, but it's nice to hear you say it officially."

Keith opened his mouth before closing it, suddenly snickering. "What did you think I had that would have made somebody else sick?"

She shrugged. "Can't be too careful these days when working at a hotel. People will find any reason to complain or find ways to get a free room."

He agreed. A lady once poured dirt onto her bed so she could have a free room, but that didn't happen because Keith was the one who had cleaned that room and knew there wasn't dirt there before. That woman got so mad and called the half Korean sexist and then made a racist comment. Allura promptly kicked her out and black listed her. Sadly, that kind of thing happened all the time and not just with dirt. A pair of used panties had been found once within the sheets and Keith was not the one to have cleaned that room before, making it difficult to determine if the guest was the one to put it there or not. The person got the room for free that time.

Despite being a small hotel, plenty of crazy things had happened over the years. Apparently it was worse before Allura became manager and that craziness was passed down onto her before she was able to change a few things. Her work paid off, for the most part.

"How are Lance and Hunk doing?" the white haired woman asked, a look of concern falling over her beautiful features.

It was Keith's turn to shrug. "As good as they can be in their situation. But they did find a couple of beautiful homes that would fit their needs. Lance's just too picky."

"That's good. Hopefully they'll find a place of their own soon. From what Lotor tells me, Hunk's about ready to pop from all the stress," see staged whispered the last bit with a small wince.

"I could imagine. Trying to keep everything on track to make sure they finish before the deadline of the restaurant's opening and trying to keep a household of four men from killing each other, my hat's off to him for not losing it yet." Keith couldn't imagine the amount of stress the large man was in and was surprised at Hunk's patience. The man was a saint.

Allura nodded in agreement. "Lotor wanted to take Hunk out drinking the other night to help him relax, but I advised against it. Thank you for giving me that advice."

"Is that why Hunk didn't come home until late morning a few days ago?" That would actually explain a few things.

"Yes. Instead of taking him out, they got drunk in the living room and made quite the fools of themselves. I got to hear things I really shouldn't have and didn't want to." She groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I know a bit about Lance that I wish I didn't. Fortunately, Hunk nor Lotor remember any of it."

The half Korean snickered, just imagining the look on Allura's face at all the things that must have been said. "I've seen too much if that makes you feel any better."

Allura giggled. "It does actually. But I feel like I need to clean out my ears with bleach still. I think Lotor even has a crush on Hunk."

The half Korean burst out laughing, making the older woman laugh as well.

"What are we talking about?" 

The two looked over to see Acxa standing there, about to sign in, with an amused look on her face as she stared them down.

"Stuff," Keith replied, grin still in place as he lightly swayed his chair from side to side.

"Stuff?"

"Yup. Just stuff," Allura added before giggling.

Acxa rolled her eyes and walked off, obviously not getting anything from them. Keith stood up as well and decided he should do some actual work. It was all done too soon and he soon found himself deep cleaning rooms again to fill up the time and get a full day. Surprisingly a good day for tips though.

..

Keith sighed as he entered the house and wanted nothing more than to take all his stuff off at the door and leave it, but the mess would drive him crazy and Lance was in the living room. Kosmo was beside him in seconds, tail wagging and trying to lick his hands. The brunette was on the laptop again with a look of concentration, most likely looking at homes again. He didn't even bother to glance up when the half Korean sat down next to him, indeed looking at a realtor website as he sat low on the couch.

Lance looked exhausted, eye lids slowing with each blink and barely able to stay open for long. Hunk didn't seem like he was home and the garage was surprisingly quiet, leaving the two of them alone. The half native rubbed his eyes before going back to skimming through photos of the home he had currently clicked on. 

"You doing ok?" Keith asked, receiving a sigh in reply. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know," Lance answered with a groan and tossed his head back. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

Keith was unsure what his friend was trying to talk about, but stayed quiet so the brunette could vent.

"Just so many things happening and so much stress going on that it's hard to keep on smiling when it feels like there's nothing to smile about. Gotta do this, do that. Then realise how much stress Hunk has been in these past few months with the living arrangement and the restaurant, making us all food every day." Lance paused and something came over his face that Keith didn't like. The brunette the computer aside.

"Did something happen to Hunk?" Keith had to ask.

"Kind of. I mean, he snapped, but it was at one of Shiro's dick costumers. Hunk was consulting with Shiro about a few things he wanted to do to the building and wanted his advice when the costumer walked in, uninvited, and began demanding for his help. When Shiro told him to wait, the guy flipped out. Then Hunk did, straight up shouting in the guy's face and putting him in his place. It was epic, but scary. And Shiro lost one of his high paying regulars."

Keith sighed and rubbed the bride of his nose. Fuck. It had to be that asshole of a costumer didn't it? While his boyfriend would say it wouldn't affect his business, it really would because the asshole was Shiro's main source of income right now. And the man seemed to know it too, giving the Asian crap all the time.

"But I had recorded the whole thing and put it on Facebook on the market place and similar groups to warn other mechanics of the guy," Lance continued tiredly. "Got a lot of good feedback and thanks for the heads up. Two mechanics already messaged me about how they turned the guy down."

Keith glanced back to the brunette in surprise. "Wait, really?"

Lance nodded. "A few actually started asking Shiro about what he can do and I soon turned them to Shiro. He's got a line of cars waiting for him." The sound of a vacuum suddenly came through the door to the garage. "He's detailing someone's car right now."

The half Korean nodded. "Ok, so where's Hunk?"

"At the restaurant, calming down with a few power tools and showing off his skills." Lance suddenly yawned, giving up on fighting to keep his eyes open.

"You should head for bed," Keith suggested.

The brunette just hummed a reply and promptly fell asleep, head tilted back against the couch. The half Korean sighed and stood up to go to his boyfriend; see how he was doing. Kosmo followed after him. The sound of the vacuum was much louder in the garage and Keith saw Shiro had gotten pretty far on the vehicle he was currently cleaning. The older man must have felt his presence because the vacuum was turned off and he looked over his shoulder, smiling when he spotted Keith. Shiro took the headphones protecting his ears from the noise off and fully turned to face the smaller man.

"Welcome home," the larger man greeted as he made his way to Keith before kissing him on the lips. "How was your day?" He took a moment to love on the dog, rubbing his ears and allowing Kosmo to jump up on him.

"Ok, probably better than yours from what I heard," the younger man replied, turning towards the small Dodge neon that his boyfriend was cleaning. "But at least you got some more work out of it."

"Yup. It might not be much at first, but it'll grow hopefully soon." Shiro pushed Kosmo off him and leaned back against the work bench, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seems like social media actually has a use for something."

Keith snickered and unconsciously pat his pup's head when the dog pressed his head against his leg. "Getting tired of all the gossip and complaining?"

The Asian shrugged. "Just feels like I'm reading someone's diary sometimes. Anyways, I need to finish this car before six. Care to help?"

"Sure. What do you want me to do?" Keith grabbed a clean rag and a spray bottle.

...

Keith loved this side of Shiro. Sweaty, panting, and begging; face contorted into one of intense pleasure. While the half Korean loved being the bottom, it was nice topping once in a while and seeing the most vulnerable side of the older man. Shiro wanted to be taken care of and Keith was doing just that, holding onto the older man tightly and thrusting deeply and slowly. The Asian had his face pressed into Keith's shoulder, almost biting to keep himself quiet and not wake the others up. The younger man could feel the edge of his boyfriend's teeth lightly press against his skin and he moaned when he thought of Shiro actually biting down. Leaving a mark.

Shiro had his legs bent and spread wide with his arms wrapped around Keith's back, trying very hard not to be loud. His quiet moans and gasps were still just as hot as his noiser ones. But he was starting to forget himself and Keith knew Shiro was about to come. The smaller man pressed his mouth harshly against the older man's and pushed his tongue deeply in, quieting Shiro down. The Asian's muffled moans still seemed loud to Keith's ears.

Shiro came with a loud cry into Keith's mouth, tightening around the half Korean and covering their stomachs with come. It took a little longer for Keith to come, forcing the younger man to cover Shiro's mouth as the Asian was a bit sensitive and no longer able to keep silent. But the half Korean eventually did come and filled his boyfriend up with his seed, pushing in as deep as he could when he did before falling on top of Shiro; panting.

"They need to find their own place faster," Shiro mumbled after awhile, having caught their breath.

Keith made a grunt of agreement before sitting up and pulling his limp cock out, making Shiro hiss uncomfortably. He laid down beside the older man and watched as Shiro got up and made his way to the bathroom to clean himself. After a few minutes, he was back and laid back down. Keith pulled the comforter over them and sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"I hate not being able to go all out and being as loud as we want," the half Korean complained with a huff.

"We will again soon," Shiro replied with a yawn. "Let's not worry about that now and end the night on a good note." He rolled over and smiled at his younger lover.

Keith sighed with a small smile of his own and nodded. "But I want to do this again very soon when Hunk and Lance aren't here."

Shiro chuckled. "We could always do it in the suburban or in the garage."

"Mmm car sex," Keith said blandly as he remembered the last time they did that. His knees burned for days. 

"I could lie down a blanket next time," the older man snickered, also remembering the time his boyfriend rubbed his knees raw on the carpet of the Asian's vehicle. "Or we could rent out a room at the hotel when it's not busy."

"Or Hunk and Lance could hurry up and find a home." Keith winced and hoped he wasn't too loud or that the other couple were dead asleep.

"Keith," Shiro reprimanded softly, but appeared to feel the same though it was hard to tell in the dark. "They're our friends in need of help with nowhere to go. While they have their parents to help, they don't live nearby and the commute could get expensive."

The half Korean sighed again, but in agreement. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just getting impatient... I ruined the mood didn't I?"

Shiro didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either and that was enough of response. "Everything will be ok, Keith."

The younger man just hummed and curled into his boyfriend, wanting to fall asleep. He complained too much and wouldn't let it go, undoubtedly ruining the moment. But Shiro was patient and too kind for his own good. "I love you."

"I love you too," Shiro replied. "Goodnight."

"Night."

...

The weather reports called for fifteen feet of snow over the weekend and they weren't lying. It snowed for three days straight, piling high and forcing the four men to take turns shoveling the stairs, walkway, and driveway. While Keith was ecstatic about the heavy snowfall, he wished for it stop after the second day because driving in it was terrifying. The plows had a hard time keeping up with the weather and the roads were slippery with loose snow that pulled at his truck's tires. Lance actually lost control once on his way to Clam Gulch and did a three sixty in the middle of the road. Luckily, there was no traffic at the time and he didn't slide into the ditch, but he was pretty shaken up.

Shiro spent most of his time in the garage, working on cars and had no need to drive anywhere so he lucked out. Hunk was a pretty amazing driver much like Keith and the two had little problems driving as long as they stayed focused and kept both hands on the wheel. Lance started to have Hunk drive him around when the large native wasn't busy or Lotor hadn't picked him up yet. It was probably time for Hunk to get his own vehicle soon.

When it finally did stop, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the month it snowed on and off, but not very much. And the weather couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to warm up or cool down. It finally made it's mind as February turned into March and the temperature stayed above thirty. The continuous warmth melted the snow and the 'shee thunk!' of ice and snow sliding off the metal roof to land loudly on the ground below often woke Keith up at night. It was odd with how warm it was becoming, spring weather usually coming in April.

The roads were now dry and free of ice, receding away further and further from the cracked asphalt; the road could use a proper replacement by their home instead a few tar patches here and there. Business was starting to pick up again and the oil field workers that James was working for was coming to stay again in a few weeks, the brunette often texted him what he wanted to do with Keith and his friends once there. The half Korean was surprised at that but agreed, looking forward to it.

Shiro's business had started to pick up and bigger, more expensive jobs were starting to be asked of him; more money coming in. The Asian was very good at what he did and particular, often becoming OCD on certain projects. It sometimes became troublesome when he was supposed to fix one or two things and found a few more that needed done. But he always called the costumer to let them know what was going on and asked if he could fix those problems too. If not, he did the first job that was asked of him no matter how much it bothered him. 

Now, he had this large job of rewiring a vehicle and sprucing it up a bit, costome making a spoiler for a costumer's car. This project was raking in the dough and the nice yet douchebag of a man was considering making Shiro his go to guy for his car. The man even referred his friends to the Asian, one of them wanting a costome made roll cage for their Jeep. Shiro had the skill set and the tools to do it and readily accepted he new challenge, looking happier than Keith has seen him in the past couple of months.

"Want to check the stereo with me, see if it works?" Shiro asked with a light smile, opening the passenger door for Keith.

The half Korean rolled his eyes with a smile and slid in, feeling a bit claustrophobic in the tight space of the small car. He only came into the garage to do a load of laundry and now his scalp was probably going to vibrate off his head as he 'helped' Shiro check the new bass stereo system he just installed. Keith watched Shiro use Bluetooth to connect his phone to the stereo and picked a song that had a heavy bass. And sure enough, the older man turned the music up and Keith thought his brain was going to vibrated out of his ears.

"What are you guys doing?!" Lance yelled, but it was muffled from the music playing loudly in the garage. 

Shiro hadn't noticed or heard him, but Keith did and he turned the music off, ears ringing. "What?!" He accidentally yelled.

"What are you guys doing?!" Lance repeated, just as loudly as before.

"Checking the bass system! Why are you yelling?!"

"Why are you yelling?!"

"I'm yelling?!"

"Yes!"

Keith messed with his ears, waiting for the ringing in his ears to disappear. "Sorry!" He winced, now hearing how loud he was being. "Sorry."

"Your ears ok?" Shiro asked with a look of concern and guilt. "Sorry, just wanted to see what this baby could do."

"It's alright, I figured. Did you need something Lance?" Keith grunted out as he heaved himself out of the car.

"Hunk wanted to know if you guys wanted to order some take out," the brunette answered. "He's a bit beat tonight and just wants to sit back and relax.

The Asian couple nodded in understanding, glad Hunk was taking their advice. The large native had too much kindness in him and often found himself needing to take care of them despite them being grown men who were capable of taking care of themselves. Shiro and Keith finally had to tell him not long ago to take care of himself more, they'll be ok without his cooking for a day or more.

"Anything in particular you want?" Lance had moved away and opened the door, keeping it open in case they would follow after him.

Keith shrugged. "I don't care as long as they have something that doesn't have wheat in it." He scratched at his arm where a red patch hadn't completely gone away. His eczema hadn't gotten much better and no amount of lotion was really helping.

"I'm feeling Mexican tonight," Shiro said as he too climbed out of the car, but didn't make any movement towards the door.

"'k. I think we have some Acapulco menus laying about. Keith, usual?" 

Keith nodded. 

"I'll go get a menu and just point out what you want, Shiro. Write it down if you're going to change anything." The half native left, only to come back moments later with a folded piece of paper and handed it to the Asian.

Shiro pointed out what he wanted and offered to drive in to pick up their meals since they don't deliver. Lance was all for that and called in, placing their order. Shiro pulled on a jacket and left a few minutes later, Keith following him out of the garage. Hunk was sitting down on the couch, playing around on his phone or possibly texting Lotor and eating a cooking. Hunk looked so relaxed at that moment.

The half Korean decided to join him, grabbing a cookie himself after making sure that it wasn't made from wheat and sat down on the arm chair. He turned on the TV before his eyes widened when he saw Lance handing Hunk a beer. When the brunette noticed the half Korean's gaze, he winked with a smirk. Keith knew he wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos? Comments? Leave em if you liked this chapter. My daughter ends up getting bad eczema when she eats wheat and it tends to take a while before it goes away. No lotion seems to help except for Lemongrass Spa healing elements, that stuff is amazing. the only thing I don't like about it is it's a bit greasy feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> Deadhorse- an unincorporated community located within the CDP of Prudhoe Bay in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States, along the North Slope near the Arctic Ocean. The town consists mainly of facilities for the workers and companies that operate at the nearby Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.


End file.
